It's Ok to Love Me
by SilverKoi
Summary: Marceline was forced to grow up when her dad left her with a caretaker as a little girl. Bonnibelle's main focus in school is her role as the student body president. One day the beautiful Student body President stumbles upon the wonderful jet-black haired girl by a song she was playing. Marcy and Bonni are falling hard but can they make it work? Just to be safe rated: M
1. Encounter

**Disclaimer: **Characters mentioned in this Fanfiction are based of the T.V. program Adventure Time: With Finn and Jake. I do not own Adventure Time or the songs I will mention throughout this narrative. This story is written out of pure admiration of the wonderful rise of self-publication, so please, sit back and enjoy.

**Chapter 1:**

**Encounter**

**Marceline's POV**

The daylight broke dimly through the grey clouds that hung over the city skyline. I allowed my heavy head to look up, only to feel a single drop of rain kiss my already cold cheek.

"Rain in the middle of autumn?" I shifted the weight of my red backpack back onto my shoulder and sighed. Normally I'm not one to complain about the cold or the rain, but today I had planned to start my marathon training. Noticing the light sprinkle had turned into a drizzle I hurried around the corner and shifted past the loud, and very annoying, group of freshmen that were blocking the school's entrance.

The first bell rang.

As I clumsily weaved through the congested halls of my high school, I overheard a couple of the teenagers talking about the huge rainstorm that was rolling through our region.

"The news said it was going to last 5, maybe 6 days." Said a scrawny boy with a keen smile.

Another responded excitedly "Almost a whole week of rain? That means no gym for a week!" with that they shared a high five.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes in aggravation.

_What a drag, a whole week spent in an overcrowded gym with almost nothing to do for an hour. To top it off training has to be postponed._

A small groan surfaced from my core while I pushed through large double doors; my body stood still for a couple of seconds, I was stunned from seeing the hundreds of students crammed into the school gym.

My eyes scanned the fully capacitated gymnasium trying to locate my friends. Once they were spotted, I took my sweet time dodging through the massive crowd of kids. The closer I got to them the better I could hear the two talking. Finn was talking rather loudly to his big brother, Jake, about how his favorite beanie had gotten soaked in the rain.

"Lousy random storm, messin' up my stuff." The damp blonde hair stuck closely to his head as he tried ringing out as much water from his beanie.

I tossed my red bag in the empty spot right next to Jake, which caused the brawny boy to jump. "Woh… HEY! What the ball Marci?" Jake growled as he looked up to see me.

My hand waved him off, "Get a grip man, you're lucky I wasn't aiming for your head." I flashed an evil little grin at him and he tolerated my taunt.

Finn chuckled at our bickering, we both knew his brother was really jumpy, but I sincerely meant him no harm. "Hey Marci. Would you get a load of this storm? So much for our training and conditioning." Finn said as he pushed back a wet blonde lock away from his eyes and placed the soggy white cap on his head.

_Don't remind me._

"Tell me about it" was all I cared to say as I took a seat between the two brothers. I didn't want to think about the wasted week that was in store for me.

"Anyways," Jake gathered his gym clothes and placed them neatly into his messenger bag, "Lady asked if I could help her out with her journalism project during first hour since the storm pretty much opens up my morning schedule." The tanned, brown hair boy stood up. He wasn't tall, but nowhere near short; he stood at 5 foot 10 and his body frame was rather bulky. "I'll catch you two at lunch. Later."

We bid our farewells without complaints, he turned away and pretty soon his body was lost in the sea of students. Jake and Lady have been dating for four years and we had already gotten use to him leaving unannounced.

_I guess that means it's just me and Mr. Spazz over here._

"I'm going to be heading out too." Finn's obnoxiously loud voice sort of startled me; I turned to face him.

_I guess I spoke too soon_.

"I kind of promised the principal I'd help him catch the vandals who've been writing profanity on the math books." With that he rose and gave a little fist pump. "You gunna be ok Marci?"

Finn's blue eyes were as clear as the sky; it was almost hypnotizing to look into such innocence. We always talk about how I'm not much of a 'people' person so I knew he was just looking out for me.

"Whatevs little hero, just go." I waved him away trying to make it seem like I could careless for his concern.

"Alright, I'll see you at lunch." Finn gave me a slight smile.

I held up a hand and my eyes trailed off to the distance for our good-byes.

He shrugged me off with the same smile on his face. Finn grabbed his green backpack and trotted out of the gymnasium.

"Ugh, what am I supposed to do now? Those dweebs left me here to die in boredom." I sighed under my breath as I moved my red bag closer to me. I honestly didn't mind them leaving, but I guess I could just use that as an excuse to pull a prank or two on them during band class.

Suddenly my mood perked up as I remembered the band room. "Mr. Shelby is cleaning the instruments at this hour. I definitely go in and grab a guitar." I smiled sheepishly; it was something I've done plenty of time before so it would be easy to take and return undetected.

The Physical Education teachers were too busy trying to maintain a small scuffle that broke out in the large crowd of teenagers, so I took this opportunity to grab my bag and sneak out the gym.

Upon arrival of the music department I took extra precautious to make sure I remained unnoticed. When the coast was clear, I opened the back door very quietly and rushed into the storage room.

_Now which one should I take?_

There were small clanking sounds coming from the storage room next to me, so without having much time to think, I grabbed the acoustic guitar that hung on left wall. My years of sneaking out under my guardians watch proved to be valuable once again.

My eye looked down at my gunmetal watch only to be disappointed; only 10 minutes had passed since the start of P.E. "This day is starting off pretty lousy if you ask me." I grumbled between my teeth as I crept back into the gymnasium.

The gym roared with chatter and yelling as I opened the double doors; there was no way I was going to even hear myself think in this madness. My feet dragged behind as I searched for a musical sanctuary. A dark corner quickly caught my attention, it was under the set of bleachers and there were only a handful of student scattered around the area.

_Perfect._

Once I settled in my newfound paradise I set my red backpack near a metal beam and soon followed along next to it. The zipper on the smallest pocket let out a soft sound when I went in to find my accessory. I pushed pass the pencils and pens and pulled out a small black pick. The guitar sat lightly on my lap as I pulled it closely to tune the steel strings.

A small sigh left the safety of my lips when I let my head lean back against the wall. This was the only thing that came natural to me; everything made sense when there was music. I closed my eyes and played a soft Bach melody until I forgot the sadness trailing inside my heart.

.

**Bonnibel's POV**

The large double doors entering the gymnasium were cold against my warm hands; I strolled in rather nonchalantly considering I was 20 minutes late. If this were my Chemistry class I would have gone mad with anger, but since Gym was my weakest subject I allowed myself this one late arrival.

I walked over to my P.E. teacher and handed her a bright yellow slip. She notably ignored me as I tried to explain how the principle needed me to report last weeks Student Body meeting; it was regarding Homecoming. There was no need for an explanation, she simply took the slip and pushed it between two binders that held a collection of truancy slips and turned her attention to another P.E. teacher; I knew I didn't have to report myself but my integrity wouldn't allow me to misuse my title.

Since I was reminded of Homecoming I began to develop a slight headache; it was only a month away and already the stress was building up. Being the Student Body President had its perks, like attending dances for free and unlimited truancy dismissal slips, but it was an extremely draining and stressful position.

I pressed my temples trying to relieve some of the pressure in my head. My mind begged me to find a place where I could continue my studies and notes. Researching the staining effects of silver nitrate was the only dosage of medicine I needed right now. I decided to continue my stride to the bleachers furthest away from the large crowd of students for two reasons: 1) I can't study if there is too much noise going around me and 2) I didn't want any students or teachers pestering me with Student Body/Homecoming questions. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to people and interacting, but the unexpected rainstorm and the "emergency" meeting the principle made me attend really spoiled my morning.

"Finally, some time to relax." The statement made me giggle as I took my seat on the abandoned bleachers; not many 18 year olds found serenity in their studies. I placed my pink book bag against the railing and sat in the corner of the seats. Before I could continue with my studies, I pulled back my strawberry blonde hair then retrieved the textbooks and notes from my bag. After a few minutes of scanning my notes, the dull sound of a tune broke me from my meditation.

_Oh Glob, did I leave my mp3 on this whole time?_

My hand shuffled past the many books in my jam-packed bag and grabbed my mp3 player. When I pulled it up I was faced with a blank black screen.

_The powers off, _

My eyebrows knitted in confusion, there was no way I could hear anyone else's player through all commotion in the large gymnasium; so where was it coming from? Ultimately, I decided to close my notes, and follow the soft sound of what sounded like classical music. Again I was hit with bewilderment; I knew there was no band class until the 5th hour.

Playing detective definitely distracted me from my stress and eventually curiosity got the better me; I stepped down from the bleachers and instantly spotted a red backpack in the corner of my eye. I continued around the corner of bleachers and discovered a girl playing the guitar with her eyes closed; my mind insisted that I step into the shadow to follow the wonderful sound.

I stopped abruptly when I realized I was only a couple feet away from this mysterious girl. She had long jet-black hair, red high tops, black skinny jeans and a striped black and red sweater. As the song ended the girl opened her eyes, they were smoky, pale grey eyes staring straight into my hazel eyes. Blood rushed to my cheeks; she caught me staring at her beautiful face.

"Can I help you?" The mysterious girl asked rather sharply.

My blushed burned a little brighter this time, "I heard you playing from the bleachers and it sounded so beautiful. I…I'm sorry for startling you." I hung my head down slightly in hopes to hide my mortified expression.

The dark haired girl scoffed, "Ha, startled _me_? You wish." I heard her sigh, "Man, just when I thought I found a place where no one would find me I get discovered by the Student Body president."

I finally got the courage to look at her again, her smile was a little crooked and her eyes seemed gentler. She knew who I was, but I hadn't a clue who she could possibly be.

My teeth bit the corner of my lower lip, and I could see this made a subtle amount of pink rise in the girls' cheeks

"Would you mind if I stayed here and listen? I promise I won't bother you, I just love hearing music while I study." I could feel myself rambling, it was strange, but I didn't want to leave her.

_Oh Glob, why am I getting so flustered around her?_

She looked at me with a puzzled look, then she shrugged and finally managed to answer, "Suit yourself."

"My name's Bonnibel" I sat right beside the beautiful pale girl and pulled out my books. "What's yours?"

Her voice choked a bit, "M-Marceline."She cleared her throat and continued, "Or you can call me Marci, either one is fine." She added trying to recover from the slight stutter.

"Marceline, huh? What a lovely name." My head turned to face her big grey eyes once more; our cheeks were flushed and we sat there just staring at one another.

"Any requests Bonni?" Marceline finally spoke trying to break our little blushing contest.

I gave an involuntary giggle at the cute name she just called me, "Bonni? I like it, and no, not really. Like I said, I'll be out of your hair." My eyes fell to my notebook wanting to break away from her mesmerizing gaze. I let out a sigh, hoping she couldn't hear, and waited for the wonderful music to fill the air around us.

She plucked away at the 6 strings and played a soothing classical song. There was no way I could study, my books just sat useless on my lap as she captivated me with her melody. My eyes would occasionally wandered off to her direction and I would catch her looking back at me. I started to feel something in the core of my body, something I've never felt before.

_Do I like her?_

My mind spun a little trying to come to terms with this; I've never been attracted to anyone before, let alone another girl, but this emotion didn't feel wrong. The back of my head settled on the wall behind me and I closed my eyes; the same way Marci did when I found her. She continued playing a variety of songs and before we knew it the remaining half hour of gym class flew right by us.

The bell for 2nd hour woke us back into reality. We sat there in silence with our gaze unbroken.

Finally I broke the stillness, "Can I see you tomorrow?" Realizing how this sounded coming out I tried to sound less desperate, "I, uhh, really enjoyed your music, I haven't been able to study this well in a while."

A smile slowly crept on Marceline's face, "Just don't be late." She gave me a wink then waved goodbye as she stood up to walk away.

I hugged my books tightly against my chest and I let out a sigh. "I won't," I whispered to myself.

My body felt lighter, my mind was racing and my heart was beating faster. I left the darkness and stepped into the florescent lights of the gym. The memory of being in the shadows alone with Marceline will happily haunt me; I proceeded to my next class, smiling.


	2. Into the Storm

**Chapter 2:**

**Into the Storm**

**Marceline's POV**

After leaving the gymnasium I realized how hard my heart was pounding, my stomach was doing all sorts of summersaults and my knees were weak. I somehow managed to place the guitar back into the storage room; not being able to think clearly when all I could think about was her. I felt myself start to blush as I exited the room.

_Am I really going to see her tomorrow? _

_Why am I so excited? _

The mixture of rain and wind stinging my warm blushed cheeks rudely interrupted my thoughts. Maybe this storm didn't ruin **everything **but it still didn't mean I was okay with it spoiling my training.

I slowed down so I could catch my breath then continued to my next class. Three hours were spent jotting down ideas in my lyric journal and drawing some new band logo designs. Every so often I'd pay attention to the lectures and reviews but my thought always returned to the girl with the faint pink hair. Once the lunch bell rang I gathered my things while my mind was clouded with sappy thoughts of her.

My math teacher asked how my training was going and shared some tips on how to boost my stamina. She was also nice enough to give me extra credit ideas for the entire semester; I might have sucked at math but I knew how to work my mysterious charm to my advantage.

After half my lunch hour was over I decided to head out to the Band Room. It was Finn and Jake's favorite shelter during rainy days so I knew they would be there by now. I pushed open the large metal door entering the Band Room.

"Macri" Finn cried overly excited. He waved at me just in case I didn't manage to hear him.

_That little dude needs to be put into something to drain all that energy_.

I let a small smirk slip, "Hey Finn, hey Jake"

Blondie pointed out the empty seat next to him and I gladly accepted his kind gesture.

Jake looked up from the pile of papers sitting on his lap and landed his eyes on me, "Hey Marceline." Then he returned his gaze to the pile. "I think Lady is really overdoing this research project. It was _supposed_ to be a group project, but it seems like she's already taken this under her wing."

"The things you have to put up with" I rolled my eyes playfully.

"You're just jealous" Jake notably bit his tongue knowing he probably went to far.

Normally I would have gotten mad, but I paid no attention to it. Nothing could ruin my day after being with Bonni this morning; not even Jake unintentionally rubbing his perfect relationship in my face.

"So how'd the crime fighting go?" I turned my attention to Finn who was already digging into a meatball sub.

"Great!" He said with a mouth full of food. He chewed a bit and then swallowed; he proceeded, "We found out who was writing in the math books, but he's already on suspension for throwing a carton of rancid milk at the principal's car."

He took a large gulp of his water and his face seemed to look disappointed. "I don't think they'll do much to him, it seems like he's always getting into some sort of trouble, so this is just normal to the office staff."

Jake gave his little brother some attention, "So what's the Bozo's name?"

"Ash" he mumbled through another mouthful of food.

I turned to look at Jake and his eyes were already wide and full of fear.

"Hey Bro, you best stay out of his way. Ash can really mess your stuff up." He switched from best friend to big brother mode. It was nice to see how much they looked out for one another; it's been like that ever since their parents passed away.

"Yo Jake, I got this. He's nothing but a big assho…" Finn started.

Jake shook his head, "No, just drop it, okay?"

Finn looked at me hoping for some support. I shrugged, "Personally, I'd listen to Jake. Ash is nothing but a bully, an experienced one at that."

Finn grumbled something that sounded like "Fine" And Jake just gave his little brother a playful punch on the arm.

I started grabbing the small baggy of raspberries and strawberries out of my bag when I saw the pick from this morning. I smiled and my mind wandered off to _her_.

"How was gym class?" Jake asked hoping to change the subject.

When I looked up at the boys my face was bright red from my blush, they looked at me in return with a confused look.

I cleared my throat, "It was fine, I managed to sneak in here and grab a guitar to entertain myself." They didn't need to hear about my little encounter with Bonni, but the butterflies in my stomach wouldn't let me shut up. "I also got to talk to the Student Body President."

The boys stopped mid-chew and their jaws dropped and almost in unison blurted, "You actually went up to someone and talked?"

My face turn red in anger this time, "YES I TALK TO PEOPLE!" I calmed down before I continued, "But no, she came up to me, she liked what I was playing and asked if she could stay and listen."

The boys began to laugh, "We're sorry Marci, you know were are just messing with you." Jake tried to lighten the mood, "So what did she think of the bands new hit single?"

"Oh, I didn't play any of our stuff, mostly Bach and some old folk songs." I took a few raspberries and popped them into my mouth. "I needed to get my mind off this stupid storm."

"I feel ya Marci, my favorite beanie is _still_ wet." Finn pulled the beanie off his head and tossed it right at my face.

I flung the hat down and gave him the nastiest glare, "You're toast!" I was about ready to pounce on the young boy and hold him in a headlock, but was stopped in my tracks by the 5th hour bell.

"This continues AFTER band class." I flashed him my canines with a half smile.

Blondie's eyes sunk and gave me a weird smile to play off his fear, "Sure Marci, you wouldn't do a thing to me."

His awkward chuckle didn't convince me.

I scoffed, got up and went into the storage room for our equipment. When I came back I handed Jake his viola, set the acoustic guitar for myself on my chair and I held on to Finn's tool bag; it had mallets, bells, drumsticks and everything in between for percussion.

Then I finally said with a less devious smile, "You might be right, but don't flatter yourself." My hand reached out to give him the small canvas bag and his fear finally subsided.

Finn took his place in the back of the room right as Mr. Shelby took the center podium and handed everyone new sheet music; everyone except me.

"Still can't read music?" He asked a little rudely.

I shook my head and refused to make eye contact.

"So how is it that you are still able to learn music?"

The same question has been asked repetitively by my previous music teachers, my answer was always the same. "I learn by ear Shelby."

"You have a cursed talent young lady. What a waste." He shook his head and right when he was walking away Jake spoke up.

"Yo man, Marci is a _great_ musician. She might not know the beginning basics of music but the girl plays with heart. You can't deny that." Jake never protected me, lets face it I haven't lost a verbal or physical fight in my life, but he stood his ground for me as a band member and as an unofficial part of his family.

"Well if you wish to call yourself a musician you better make reading music a habit." His eye burned into mine before he turned around with his nose in the air, "You'll be needing your capo for this little number."

"Jerk" I growled loudly between my teeth so he could hear, but he ignored my snarl.

The band geared up and settled in their sections; Trumpets blared and Finn's crash cymbals clashed from behind the room. We played a war song from The Great Mushroom War and when my solo piece came up Jake played it for me on his viola so I could translate the music by ear. Our group took to the song rather quickly and the wonderful sympathy moved me to my core.

Ten minutes before the bell rang Shelby gave us "free time" before we had to dismantle and clean our instruments. I decided to use this time to sing something to unleash the foolish emotions that made my heart flutter.

Jake sat beside me gently sliding his bow on a small block of amber rosin; we were in the corner of the room, away from our other band members. The safe distance allowed me to relax and I began to sing.

"You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you

You'd be like heaven to touch

I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived

And I thank Glob I'm alive

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you

Pardon the way that I stare

There's nothing else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak

So if you feel like I feel

Please let me know that it's real

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you"

A heavy sigh followed behind the last word, there was so much feeling put behind my singing I was able to detect it. I looked up only to find Jake frozen in his actions with his mouth slightly open. A weird smile ran across his face and was about to say something but I stopped him before he could let out a word.

"Don't tell _anyone_"

My eyes shifted away and the vivid blush on my cheeks made Jake wrap an arm around me.

"Don't worry I won't"

.

**Bonnibel's POV**

I jumped as I heard the last bell ring; I've already lost track how many times something had broken me out of deep concentration. My mind couldn't stop thinking about her.

_Marceline _I sung in my head, even her name was remarkable.

Remembering those smoky grey eyes made me blushed, I gathered my books into my bookbag and walked up to my AP Chemistry teacher.

"I've done further research and I think you'll love my conclusion and end statement." I smiled l,ike a proud child showing off a crayon self portrait, while handing him the 3 ring binder.

The husky male looked at me in amazement, "Bonnibel, that's already the last project of the year! You've already done everything in between, what else am I supposed to give you?" He grabbed the binder from my hand and automatically opened the hard cover.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mint, but once I get going there's no stopping me."

"I will never discourage the love for science, but you young lady, you are a mad scientist." I giggled at his statement, "I need to strike you a deal. I want you to lay off the Chemistry projects..."

I quickly tried to make an objection, but he sternly proceeded.

"I want you to hold off on the projects until Homecoming is all over and done with. I think you can sacrifice science for one measly month so you don't stress yourself out." He gave me a slight smile. "Now go on, you should enjoy the rest of the month. I, on the other hand, will be trapped in here for a month reading report numbers 2 through 8 thanks to you." Mint added jokingly.

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Taking a little break from this class would really bring my stress levels down.

Once again I was reminded of how fortunate I was to have Mr. Mint as a very supporting Chemistry teacher. However he was much more then that to me, he was also my Student Body director, as well as a close family friend. He and my Dad became friends in the State University and ever since then he has been in our family's lives.

He was like an uncle to me; he bought me my first microscope set and slides at age 6 even when my parents both agreed I was too young.

I remember that day clearly, he gave me a poster of the periodic table and my microscope set was wrapped up in pretty pink polka-dot wrapping paper. When I tore into my gift I was shocked to find my very own long white lab coat; just like the one he wore in his lab. I remember squealing in excitement when I realized what was behind the wonderful cotton gift.

"Just like the one in your lab" My little hands rose to cover my mouth.

"Precisely, and look, here are some slides I made just for you in my lab." He presented me with a clear plastic box filled with glass slides.

I read the label out loud with great enthusiasm, "Mitosis: Cell Cycle" The glass slide felt so fragile in my tiny fingers when I lifted it to my eye level. "You mean all 6 stages are in here?"

He nodded to me "For Plant _and_ Animal Cells"

Ever since that day I was hooked like a bear to honey.

My fascination in science started at such a young age and Mint took great pride in his discovery. He was supportive but most importantly honest; there was no way I could make it as a scientist without receiving harsh criticism here and there.

I smiled when I finally broke free from my memory, "Ok Pepper, but I'm still doing my homework." I turned away, and continued to the end of the room where the classroom door was located.

Right as I was heading out he gave a small chuckle and said, "Alright Bon Bon, I'll see you in the parking lot at 4:00."

I exited the warm science building into chaos; the wind was so strong it looked as if it was going to snap the trees like toothpicks and the rain came pouring down like a monsoon. I didn't bring an umbrella and there was no way I was going out there with just a hoodie.

"Great" I said to myself.

I walked to the indoor parking structure to avoid the storm, and sat on the floor against a cool cement wall. I grabbed my little stash of gummy bears out of my jacket pocket and rummaged through my bookbag to find my cream soda.

As I enjoyed my sweet treat I closed my eyes to listen to the calm pitter-patter of the raging weather. My mind trailed back to Marceline, the lean pale girl with jet-black hair. I thought about her amazing talent in music and the sound of her sexy voice.

"Hey Bonni." Said the recognizable sexy voice.

I must have been lost deep in my thoughts because I didn't hear the sound of her footsteps approach me. I opened my eyes and hoped I wasn't hearing things.

There she was standing in front of me. The jet-black hair on her head wet from rain, her lips a slight shade of blue and in one hand a small wooden string instrument. Then she gave me a half smile that made my head rush and my heart skip a beat.

"Hey Marci," I was so surprised, and in awe, that I couldn't think of much to say. Then I felt the warmth of my blushing cheeks.

_Oh Glob again with the blushing!_

"Are you waiting for your ride?" She asked right before she took a seat next to me.

"Yeah, I have a whole hour and I definitely don't want to spend it out there." I said nodded my head to the direction of the horrific scene of the storm.

"A whole hour! Geez, that's rough." She put the string instrument on her lap and rubbed her hands trying to create some warmth. "Would you like a ride?" She asked softly but audible enough for me to hear.

Despite the cold air chilling my entire body, she made me feel warm inside and in my mind I was jumping for joy.

She continued, "It's really cold out"

"Yes" I had to speak before she overloaded me with happiness.

Marceline's eyes gleamed and a smile grew on her face.

"Just wait here, I'll be right back. Would you mind watching this little guy for me?" She handed me the wooden string instrument.

"Of course not." I took it and she gave me another half smile.

_This girl is killing me! _

As she left I let go a huge sigh. I was ecstatic but overall nervous; a car ride with the girl I couldn't stop thinking about all day, this was going to be very interesting so say the least.

"It's just a ride, no need to freak out. You can do this Bonnibel" I was trying to psych myself out before I completely lost my cool in front of the beautiful Marceline. My fingers trailed along the strings of her instrument, it felt like I was trapped inside a dream, but the tiny 'guitar' proved otherwise.

A few moments later a dark red compact car pulled up in front of where I was sitting. Marceline stepped out, now this time she was soaked from head to toe, but she didn't seem to mind it. She came towards me with her hand held out; I shyly took it and she pulled me up.

Our hands lingered together for a few seconds before we both pulled away. Marceline offered to take my bookbag and her string instrument. She placed them both in the back seat of her car before she stepped over to the passenger door and held it open for me.

She bowed, "Your carriage my lady." I couldn't help but giggle and this made her laugh. I settled myself in and she ran in front of the car, jumped into the driver's seat and strapped herself in.

She looked at me with such a mischievous look, "You better buckle up."

I nodded and listened to her command. Away we went, into the storm, together.


	3. Meet and Greet

**Chapter 3:**

**Meet and Greet**

**Marceline's POV**

We pulled out of the parking structure and immediately heard the rain pound on the roof of my little car. I tried to calm my breathing, but how could I?

I turned my head to see the strawberry blonde hair girl who still had her little bag of gummy bears on her lap. My heart skipped a beat and I had forgotten how to breathe.

"Do you need to call your ride? I can let you borrow my cell phone."

She nodded; I lifted my right hip just a tad to get into my pocket a little better. I handed her my slim black phone, and the touch of her fingers lightly grazing my hand sent a shiver down my entire body.

"Thank you," I could hear the smile in her voice, "I really appreciate the ride."

My heart was pounding hard; I could feel a dry lump start to form in my throat. I managed to swallow through the dryness and calm my breathing. Just hearing her talk drove me crazy, I didn't want to take my eyes off her but I had to make sure I didn't run off the road. "It's no problem, honest."

She texted her uncle and placed my phone in the cup holder between the two of us.

"Would you like to listen to music?" I asked grabbing for the CD book under my seat.

"Yeah sure. What shall I pick?" She asked flipping through the many pages that filled the book.

I shrugged, "It's to your preference my lady." I saw her blush in the corner of my eye.

_I really hope I'm not reading these "signs" wrong._ I pleaded in my head

Bonni sat there scanning through the CDs in deep concentration. I continued to drive not knowing where we were going, but it seemed like it didn't matter.

[Bonni's eyes fixated on what looked like a self-made CD. It was titled, "Sorry We Suck"; it was written in red Sharpie and it had a few little drawings of what looks like bats.]

She finally picked a disc, pulled it out from its' sleeve and pushed it lightly into my car's CD player. A very catchy bass rift filled the silence inside the car. A very familiar bass rift

_Oh no, she found our joke album. _

I quickly turned off the power to the stereo with my eyes glued to the road; I didn't know what else to do I panicked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't feel like listening to that." Her surprised reaction was clearly heard in her apology.

_Glob, I'm such a jerk._

"No, please don't feel bad. It's not that at all. It's just, umm." I paused, I was a little embarrassed about the content of the music in there, but only because I didn't want her to think I was a complete weirdo. Like I said before JOKE ALBUM.

_Think fast Marci_

"I wanted to know where you live before I miss it." My voice fluctuated; it was really hard to lie to her. Weird, this had never been a problem for me before, not that I'm a proud liar.

Bonni blinked with a very confused look on her face. "It's on the 1400 block off Main Street."

I nodded then I sighed, "Just brace yourself for this one."

I turned the power back on and adjusted to volume. Fine, I'll admit, was beyond mortified at the fact that I was letting her listen to this particular CD. It was a mosh posh of songs that Jake, Finn, BMO and I all made together.

After listening through 'Why Did You Eat My Fries', 'Bacon Pancakes', 'Tough Tootin' Baby' and BMO's video game mix (Which was BMOs old classic video game songs turned into house music) we made it to Bonni's house.

I parked my car right across a pistachio colored house and turned off the engine; we let the CD continue until the last song 'Bury You with My Sound' ended.

Finally I turned my head to face Bonni, I already knew I was flushed with embarrassment. My only worry was Bonnibel's feedback; there was no mistaking that I was the one singing a few of the songs.

_I just hope she doesn't think that my band is weird._

To my surprise she was looking right back at me, with a genuine smile. I inhaled, _I keep forgetting to breathe,_ I wanted to say something but all I could get out was, "So…"

"That was so awesome! Is this your band? How many people do you have in your band? Do you have any other albums? Do you guys write all your music?" She was so excited asking me all these questions. This couldn't be real.

I held up my hands, this was a little much; my first fan, to top it off it was Bonni.

"Woh there Bonni," I laughed a little nervously, "One at a time please." I couldn't help but smile. She didn't think our music was bad; in fact I think she truly enjoyed it.

"I'm sorry, but wow, I can't believe how talented you are. You really love your music don't you?" She held my stare with her soft hazel eyes.

She figured me out, just like that.

My cheeks rushed with my warm blood. "Yes, I express myself better with music then I can with actual words in a conversation."

"That's very poetic." Bonni's cheeks where pink, her eyes stayed locked on mine, and her hands folded nicely on my CD binder. "So what is that instrument in the back seat?"

I had to be the one to break our stare but maybe this was a good opportunity to impress her. I turned around to face the back seat, grabbed the small stringed instrument and brought it to the front seat.

"This is a mandolin." I strummed the eight strings lightly with my thumb; the instrument gave out a light musical sound.

"Like the ones the used in the medieval times to serenade Queens and Ladies?" Bonni asked me a lot of questions, but I didn't mind it one bit.

I giggled a little at the reference, "Yeah, this is one of the instruments used to romance many a ladies."

Her eyes seemed to beg me for a song so I began strumming the notes to "Greensleeves".

I looked deep into her eyes and could tell her breathing slowed down as she sunk in her seat. This didn't feel weird at all, any anxiety or fear that I had before washed away when she was here with me.

My heart wanted to start singing to her but I had never sung to just one person, the intimacy was a little too much to handle.

She broke me from my thoughts, "How many instruments do you play?"

She asked a very good question, one I couldn't answer off the top on my head. I finished my song and thought long and hard before I could give her an estimate.

"Around 18, maybe 20 to make it safe."

She was floored, "Approximately 20? Wow."

I nodded. I was in no way bragging but the way she admired that little fact about me, made me feel like a total bad ass.

"Which one is your favorite?" Man, I loved this girl; she asked me personal questions and still wanted to learn more about me. It was a certain type of attention I wasn't use to but needless to say, it was awesome.

"I'm obligated to say that it's my bass guitar, he was my first baby."

"He?" Bonni's eyebrow rose.

"Oh yeah, his name is Axel, due to the fact that he looks like a giant red axe." I had to admit, I had no originality when it came to naming my instruments, but I named him when I was 7, so cut me some slack.

"You just get more and more interesting don't you?" She had a beaming smile, it was very obvious that she didn't mean this sarcastically, and I didn't know how to react.

So I chuckled nervously, like an idiot.

"Ok, last question, I promise." Her eyes were now on the folder full of CDs.

I wanted her to ask me a million questions, "Shoot"

"Will you show me more of your music?"

"Sure," I leaned over to open the folder just so I could get closer to her, "These will be less… well no… these will be equally weird and random like our Joke Album."

She shook her head, "It wasn't weird. It was pretty evident that you guys had fun writing and playing every song in there."

Bonnibel was right, we recorded it mainly to test our new producing equipment, but we each kept an album to remind us of that awesome summer.

_Ugh, what I would give to kiss her right now._

We found the page with my band's other discs and Bonni quickly picked the one tittled "Marceline the Vampire Queen" She held it to my direction quietly expecting an explanation.

"Oh yeah, you _had_ to choose that one." I rolled my eyes dramatically, "My band swears I'm a vampire, just because I used to hold practices at midnight and my hands are always freezing cold."

"Practice at midnight? Why so late?"

"I would be sleeping all day during the summer. Warm weather makes me sleepy, I'd rather be cold then hot." Let me stress it now, I HATE warm weather. I am like a cat, if you left me out in the sun, I was guaranteed to fall asleep.

"The facts add up, I guess you **are** a vampire" she tease me then she grabbed my hand and brought it close to her, "But about your hands, it's just poor circulation. I once read an old wives tale about this condition, they would say if the person had cold hands they were promised with a warm heart."

If that wasn't a moment I was going to go crazy trying to figure this girl intensions. She slowly let go of my hand; the warmth from her hand still lingered on mine.

I drew up every ounce of courage to finally talk, "So tell me about you. You already know so much about me."

"What would you like to know?" She smiled and it made me melt.

"Everything."

.

**Bonni's POV**

I was having such a blast with Marci just sitting in her car talking while the storm continued outside. It was hard to believe that I had just met her this morning, and now I was here with her. We continued our conversation and it amazed me how we felt so comfortable with each other; you would have never guess it had been less then 8 hours that we had first met.

She finally put in her "Marceline the Vampire Queen" CDs, this one Marceline sang in all of them. That sexy voice mixed with the low sounds of the bass, it just drove my heart insane.

"Is there something you are equally passionate about?" She broke me from the spell her singing casted on me.

"Science. I _love_ science."

She looked at me slightly surprised, not it a bad way, "Really? I knew you were book smart but I would have thought you were into Math or Literature."

"Well you can't go very far in science if you don't know much about math or literature." I was trying my best not to sound snobby, but it was true, there is no room for error when dealing with calculations and written work.

"Well then, you definitely exceeded what I thought about you." The corner of her mouth rose slightly and she eyed me up and down.

_What the, what did she mean by that?_

I wondered if I was somehow getting her to like me, but I quickly shot down that idea. There was no way she was single, and even if she were, she wouldn't want to spend her time with someone with his or her head in a book.

Marceline continued with her questions, "What's with the gummy bears?"

"Are you questioning candy? Gummy bears are the best, I eat them everyday, would you like some?" I lifted the small baggy from my lap and offered it to her.

"No thanks. I'm not too big with sweets. Nothing against your bears, I was never given candy as a child, so I never really cared for it as I got older." This shocked me, I finally met someone who did not like sugar, and it was strange.

"How are you able to eat candy all day without totally ruining your mouth?" Marci was curios, as were my dentist, but it was quiet simple really.

I tried to explain it to her without using the confusing terminology, "Well I produce more saliva then the average human being. The enzymes help break down the sugar faster so I don't have to brush my teeth more then twice a day." My eyes drifted to the window next to me, talking about my spit was not attractive, I could see the storm was still going strong.

"You must be a great kisser."

I cheeks instantly rushed with my blood. My head turned to her direction and her jaw dropped a little.

"Did I say that out loud?" I nodded and she pressed her hands against her face in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry about that"

We both laughed, she lifted her head from her hands and gave me another half smile. It was so hard to read my emotions when this was my first time ever liking someone, but I stayed positive, there was no harm in wanting to experiment with myself.

_Yeah, that didn't sound right, not even in my thoughts._

Marceline finally stopped laughing, "So you love sweets, you love science and you are Student Body President. You kind of put my profile to shame." She pulled back her wet black hair into a ponytail.

"What are you talking about?" I chuckled, "you have a band, you play boat loads of instruments and on top of that you are really beautifu…"

_Holy stuff, did I really let that last one slip? _

Marci's smile diminished right when she heard the last word. Her eyes fixed down on her lap where the little mandolin rested. She plucked a few of the strings then whispered something soft.

_I just blew it; she totally thinks I'm some kind of lesbian weirdo now. Glob, me and my big mouth, I can never shut up when I'm this excited about something._

She cleared her throat then said repeated it to me, "Not as beautiful as you." She lifted her eyes, her cheeks were bright red and that sexy half smile pressed on her face.

Marci laughed, she was probably just as nervous and me, "Please tell me I'm not crazy, but do you like me too?" I could tell she was being one hundred percent serious.

All I could do was nod. First I couldn't keep my mouth shut and now I could barely say my name if someone asked for it.

I had to force something out, "I'm sorry, I'm didn't mean to be so forward."

"Please don't be sorry, I wish I could be as forward as you." Marci looked me straight in the eye just like she's been doing on and off this pass hour. This time her eyes were softer, and full of passion.

We sat both sunk back to our seats looking out the windshield. I watched the raindrops race down the window before my eyes trailed to the car clock. The digital clock read 5:32. I jumped up, not realizing how fast the time flew.

"It's already 5:30, I'm sorry, I've been here just talking to you. I hope you didn't have any previous engagements." I truly felt bad, she offered a ride, not a whole meet and greet.

She reassured me she didn't but that she should probably go home and check on her cat.

Marci reached behind me to grab my bookbag from the backseat; she was so close to me I could feel the warmth of her breathe on my neck. This sent shivers down my spine, I gave a little gasp then she faced me with my bag in her hand. Her lips seemed like they were only a few inches away from me. She bit her bottom lip and I trembled.

"Thank you Marceline." I smiled, I'm pretty sure she could hear my heart pounding on my chest.

She gave me a full smile this time and a little wink. "It was my pleasure."

My bookbag was pressed tightly against my chest and I braced myself for the terrible weather condition awaiting me. Just as I was about to push open the door Marci turned the key in the ignition it gave out a loud groan and it stalled.

"Just great" She slumped her shoulders and put her head against the steering wheel.

Worried I asked, "What's wrong?"

"The battery died and I don't own any jumper cables." She didn't even lift her head off the wheel. Poor Marci, she looked defeated.

"Well come inside, I'm not going to let you sit here and freeze." With that she lifted her head, she couldn't disagree with me, she was still soaked and the heat from the car was already leaving.

"Thanks" she smiled at me, "I owe you one."

"No, you gave me a ride home, so now we are even."

This time we both braced ourselves for the cold and rain; we both pushed open the car doors and ran straight for my house. My small patio was our temporary shelter and Marceline was noticeably shivering while I was looking for my keys.

I finally got the door open and I turned on the lights and heating. The light filled the room reveling two pink sofas, my television that rarely gets turned on, and a small coffee table right in the center of the living room. I put my things in the hallway closet and offered to throw Marci's sweater in the dryer. The pale girl accepted, she pulled the striped sweater over her head and handed me the wet cloth.

She was wearing a black tank top that hugged her sides, along with the black skinny jeans and red high tops I remember from this morning.

"Quit checking me out" I moved my eyes from her body to her grey stones and she was standing with one hand on her hip with that half smile.

_Oh glob she was so sexy._

She laughed as I blushed and hurried along to the laundry room. I heard her shout something at me, but the sound of the dryer muffled the sound. I reentered the living room and asked her what she had asked me.

"Do your parents own any jumper cables?"

I moved past her and plopped right down on the couch and motioned for her to do the same. The jet-black haired girl sat right next to me and I finally answered with a sigh, "No, my parents don't live here, and even if they did, they don't drive cars."

"You live on your own?" There was concern in her voice.

"My parents are Zoologist and right now they are out of the country. It's hard not being with them but I'll get to see them at graduation."

I loved how passionate my parents were about their work; however I missed more then anything in the world.

"Do you ever get scared?" Marci finally asked.

"Yes, but I have an uncle drop by every so often, you know to make sure I'm okay." I smiled trying not to show the hurt I get when thinking about my parents. "Let me call him, he can probably help out with the car."

Suddenly thunder roared so loud that it made me jump and grab on to Marci's arm for protection. The boom made the windows shake and I buried my head in her shoulder; all I could do was closed my eyes shut and clutched on to her tank top. Thunder always scared me to my core, even though scientifically, it was just the sound of lightening rapidly heating the air around it.

She wrapped her arm around me and held me close. I had never felt such contradicting emotions, fear from the storm and love from Marceline. My heart raced when it finally struck me that I was in her grasp.

Then from center of her chest I heard a low humming, and then slowly I became louder until she began to sing…to me.

_"My Bonnie lies over the ocean,_

_My Bonnie lies over the sea._

_My Bonnie lies over the ocean,_

_So bring back my Bonnie to me."_


	4. After the Storm

**Marci's POV**

The warm daylight broke through the curtains and warmed the vacant space I like to call my room. A furry tail playfully grazed my nose; I groaned something inaudible, then rolled over to my side.

My charcoal colored cat felt his way under the bed spread and curled himself into a little ball against my stomach. A soft purr emerged from deep within his throat, he then proceeded to jab his little paws into my stomach, sort of like a small cat punch to the gut.

"Mmm...no…just a few more minutes." I grumbled from under the sheets. That's when he unleashed his deadly weapon, claws, now the playful punching became a fist full of pain.

"HAMBO!" I hissed at the old fur ball. Swiftly I lifted the covers to unveil the little misfit; he lay on his back rubbing his head right where he had scraped the skin on my abdomen. "Dumb cat."

I sat up, rose my arms over my head, Hambo crawled lazily onto my lap, and we yawned in harmony. I rubbed him continuously under his fuzzy little chin, which of course was his favorite spot.

"Lets go you old man." As I lifted him off the bed I turned my attention to the alarm clock on my nightstand. The dull green numbers blinked 6:58.

_Glob if I didn't love you so much you'd be dead by now._

I scaled down the ladder from my room leading to the living room. Still groggy from sleep, I yawn once more then prepared our usual breakfast; a bowl of the foulest smelling cat food this world has to offer for Ham, and for myself a bowl of oatmeal with chopped raspberries, strawberries and cranberries.

It was Saturday morning and it felt like I was the only one in the entire city that was up this early. Hambo abandoned his dish the second he swallowed the last chunk of the mushy brown food. I finished the last bit of my oatmeal and I remembered my plans for the day.

Bonni was coming over, a smile slowly crept on my face; this past week has been nothing but pure bliss for me. The first day we were together on her couch she just wouldn't let go of me, I could have sworn I died just a little that day. She smelled like gummy bears, her hair was so soft, and it was a little depressing seeing her in fear, but I'm glad my singing helped soothe her.

The following four days consisted of us meeting under the bleachers for gym and then hanging out at her place after school. I sang and played her some songs and she always managed to incorporate science with everything we did or talked about.

A rather large sigh left my lungs; I was going to get her at 10 am. We both agreed that it was really early, but I wanted all the time I could get with her. Quickly I washed the dishes and put away the bundle of movies I left out from the night before. The loft was clean, it was in fact a rare sight; it might have been a tedious task, but I'd do anything for Bonni.

_I guess I can get started on my marathon training since it stopped raining last night._

It seemed to me that this day just got better with time. I grabbed some breathable clothing and tied up my running shoes. Once I was ready to go I just had one problem, where should my run take me?I thought long and hard before I decided I'd go and pay the Nerd Twins a little visit.

_I better go thank them for fixing my old hunk of junk._

"See you in an hour Ham!" I yelled at the absent cat. Once I was outside I pushed the ear buds from my mp3 in my ear and allowed them to blast a compilation of classical music, rock and roll, and folk songs. My breathing stayed calm for the first 3 miles of my run. Seeing the change in scenery really helped keep me in deep meditation giving my mind a reason to wander off instead of fixating on the muscle soreness.

The dirt path I continued on ran beside a small creek; given the fact that it had been raining for 5 days, this little creek became a moderately good size river. To top it off, I had to find a way to cross it.

I stopped right on the side of the river; I gave a few short gasps before I could control my breathing again.

_I better jump across._

There was probably a 40 percent chance I wasn't going to make it; I've learned this from many dares Finn and Jake held against me. I gave a quick glance behind me, I turned my head back then I charge straight for the river and cleared the 5-foot wide flow of water. Sure the heels of my running shoes got damp, but I'll just run the long way home so they can dry off.

My run continued for another 15 minutes until I collapsed on the front porch of the twins' large house. I pounded the floorboard of the little outdoor steps with my fist knowing the boys could hear me.

The doorknob wiggled, the wooden door pulled open and there stood Neptr. The short light skinned boy rubbed his squinting eyes and gave out a groan.

"Uhh… oh hey there Marceline, what brings you here so early?" He gave a little yawn/grunt sound and sat himself right next to me.

"Morning sleeping beauty, I was out for my morning run and decided to give you guys a little visit." I let myself lay flat on my back on the cold floorboards, "I just wanted to say thanks again for helping me out on Monday. I owe you a solid for getting me that car battery."

The fourteen year old looked at me with a dazed look in his eyes as he shook his head; his hair fell to his eyes. He tried combing his red hair to the side with his hand and it did very little to help.

I gave a little frown; there was no way he would let me pay him back, I knew this beforehand but I still insisted on doing so.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his purple-framed glasses, he placed them on his nose and said, "You're kidding, right? You practically _gave_ BMO all this studio equipment and a brand new mixing board. Not to mention those awesome microphones and software you got me."

Neptr pulled the glasses from his face and began rubbing them with the sleeve of his grey long-sleeve shirt, "If anything we are still in debt to you."

"No, they were gifts. Speaking of the little video game wizard, where is he?" My eyes stared off to the powder blue sky.

"Asleep. He was up 'til 2 this morning downloading new sounds on the mixing board. He's really excited to show you guys the new mix he came up with." Neptr got up and stretched out his skinny legs, I soon followed along with him.

"Are you guys going to make it to band practice?"

"I don't know, my parents said B and I have to clean the basement if we wanted to see daylight this weekend." Neptr rubbed the back of his neck.

"Is it that bad?"

If there was anything I learned from the twins is that they are messy inventors. Every time I went down to their basement it was always full of scrap metal and old circuit boards. Neptr did welding and wiring and Bmo was in charge of blueprints and measurements. What they invented was beyond me, they all looked like robots but who knows what they really were.

Nep nodded his head and gave out a sigh, "Yeah. The storm gave us an excuse to stay inside, so we just stayed at our workbenches. You know, doing what we do best."

"Right on. Well tell Bmo I say 'hey', whenever he gets up from sleep mode. Hey Nep?" This time my eyes were on him, "Really, thank you." He smiled and shrugged his scrawny little shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Hopefully I can see you guys tomorrow." I jumped off the 4th step and hit the ground running.

"Sure thing, I finally got the software running so we start recording whenever the band's ready." His yelling faded as I ran further and further away. I ran away giving him a thumbs-up above my head, so he could see, then headed home.

The cool morning air filled my lungs and this time my muscles didn't ache. It must have been the mixture of excitement and anxiety. I had to hurry home; I didn't want to be late for Bonni and I was also in desperate need of a shower.

Before I knew it I reached the main gates of my loft complex. My breathing was slowly calming down as I walked inside the front lobby.

The doorman stopped right in front of me and handed me a sealed black envelope; I automatically recognized the stationary.

"Miss Marceline, Mr. Abadeer wanted me to forward this to you."

My eyes went narrow. In a split second I was knocked off my blissful high horse and pushed deep into the underworld.

_Glob! What could he possibly want now?_

.

**Bonni's POV**

Marci must have rang my doorbell 10 times before I made it to the door.

I released the deadbolt and pulled the door open. The tall pale girl stood on my porch with her hands in her pant pockets; she was wearing a plaid flannel shirt, slim dark blue jeans and a pair of flashy red boots.

She gave me a quick smile and greeted me with, "Hey beautiful." The way she talked to me, so calm and cool, it always managed to get me flustered.

"Hey Marci" I walked right up to her and put my arms around her neck. Her hands wrapped around my waist and she pulled me in so our bodies touched.

By this time I was blushing but I couldn't break the stare between us. She smelled like a garden full of lavender; the scent was so rich, I was drawn like a moth to a flame.

We both eventually pulled away and collected ourselves.

I closed my door behind me before she led the way to her car. She held the car door open for me with a very pleased look in her eye.

"What?" There was a small laugh behind my voice.

She shook her head, "Nothing, you just look great."

We settled in, Marceline turned on the car and the radio blared on instantly. She had been listening to classical music, so something must've gotten her upset.

Marci was right, she expressed her feelings solely on music; all you had to do is match what kinds of feelings go with whatever style of music.

_Should I ask? _I wondered, _Maybe it's too soon. _

Marci's hand gripped the steering wheel, I wanted to help her, but in all honesty, what could I do?

I placed my hand on her right knee; her body noticeably loosened, her breathing calmed and she seemed less distracted. She let her right hand drop off the steering wheel and let it grab onto my hand.

"My Dad's dropping by to have a 'talk' with me." The sound of her voice almost startled me; it was full of so much hatred it sounded like she growled that whole sentence.

"Should I stay?" I definitely didn't want to cancel our plans, but this sounded serious.

"No, please come over. Don't let him spoil our date." Her eyes found their way to mine. I felt lightness in my stomach and a rush to my head. A date.

Remembering yesterday's events were far beyond effortless; it's a day I will honestly never forget.

She came over on Friday, just like she had been doing the entire week. We were both on my pink sofa; she sat on the furthest cushion and my head was resting on her lap. That day Marci plucked away at a ukulele and would sing to me occasionally.

There was a long period of time were I talked about my small side project on natural pesticides. She was such a good sport about listening to my "geek talk" as she liked to call it; she always asked questions and would encourage my rambling.

Eventually I ran out of things to talk about and we just enjoyed the sound of her music; I noticed the playing slowed down to a soft rock chord medley and her breathing was a little heavier.

The moment I heard my name I looked up at her, and she looked simply amazing.

"Bonni…" A long pause soon followed but I just waited to see what she would say.

"Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow? The look on her face was a mixture of nervousness and over excitement. I could only image how my face looked when I sat back up to kiss her.

I placed my arms awkwardly against her shoulder then wrapped my arms around her neck. My lips pressed lightly against her soft cold lips; her body shifted and she immediately took control, I think she could tell I had never done this before. Her hands grasped on to my sides and urge me to come in closer against her. I followed the silent command and then she moved one hand up to my face to cradled it gently.

I felt her lips start to part slightly, so I continued to follow her lead. I felt allowed myself to fully lean against her body and we nuzzled our way into the corner of the couch. While I was on top of her she bit my bottom lip lightly then she sucked on it once before I had to pull away for a breath of air.

She looked me deep in the eyes and she gave me a crooked smile; I couldn't believe I kissed her, but most of all, I couldn't believe that she kissed me back. Her fingers ran through my hair and a little shiver when down my entire body.

"So is that a no?" Honestly, she was really cute when she tried to play off being sarcastic and playful.

"No, that means I would love to go on a date with you." I whispered in her ear before I placed my lips on her neck. The soft kissing on her neck must've drove her crazy, I heard a low moan come out, so I continued my way up to her lips for another round of her sweet passion.

We pulled away and she hugged me tight as I lay on her with my head on her chest.

"Good… cause I… I really like you Bonni" She managed to get out in between breaths.

My flashback ended right when we pulled into a large concrete parking structure.

Marceline parked close to a hallway entrance and turned off the little red car. I heard her let out a little sigh, then she spoke. "I'm sorry in advance for whatever might happen with my dad."

"You don't need to apologize. Nobody's parents are perfect."

"Well it's not just him, it's me too. We can't have a single conversation without him picking on me or me yelling at him for something completely stupid." She got out to open the door for me.

The door opened beside; she reached down for my hand and held it tight. I pulled myself out and we walked straight toward her loft.

Marci pushed opened the dark green door and reveled a large living space. We stood at the entrance of her kitchen; I looked over to the living room. Right in the center of the living room floor a dark grey cat stopped his morning groom and stared at the two of us.

He trotted over to me and began rubbing him head on my shin, he appeared to be very welcoming but when he turned to Marci he just gave a short hiss and walked away.

I couldn't help but laugh, "Wow, that was awkward."

Marci chuckled a bit. "Yeah, Hambo's a weird cat. We have this strange love hate thing going on, but it works for us."

She walked over to the entertainment center in the room and put on a movie for us to watch. I let her pick the goriest one; little did I know that soon my kind gesture would proved to be a big mistake.

Before the movie started I looked around the loft complex, it was spacious, but there was no bedroom, just a kitchen, a living room and a door, which I assumed was a bathroom.

"So where do you sleep?"

I expected her to say that her sofa was a pull out bed, but she just pointed up above my head. I turned around and looked up and there, hidden away, was a ladder leading up to a second floor.

The sound blasted and the movie began with a girl getting her arm bit by a walking corpse. There was so much fake blood and flesh it made my stomach churn. I could feel myself getting light headed and Marci nudged me with her shoulder.

I wasn't one for horror movies but Marceline loved them. Since she put up with a lot of my science talk I figured I could return the favor. Let's just say it wasn't working out for me.

The blood drained from my face as I turned to look at Marci, she looked worried at first then tried her best to hold back her laughter.

"Is this too much? I can chang…" her arms wrapped around my shoulder trying to comfort me. I stopped her before she could finish her sentence.

"No, I'm just not used to all the blood."

"You know, we have two hours before my Dad comes." She leaned in and began to kiss me.

I returned the kiss and smiled when we pulled away; I knew exactly what this meant.

"Ok, but turn off the movie, I don't want murderous screams or the sound of zombies in the background while we are kissing."

Marci let out a pout. "Aww, but that's my favorite."

I punched her playfully; she went in for another kiss before she decided to turn off the television.

"Come on, I'll show you my room."

My heart missed a beat.


	5. Emotionally Draining

**Chapter 5:**

**Emotionally Draining**

**Marci's POV**

Bonnibel lifted her warm forehead off my chilly bare shoulder and nestled herself right under my chin. She was already in my arms, but all I wanted to do was to hold her forever. I had no intentions of letting her go, but my dad was supposed to be showing up soon.

"Bonni?"

"Mmm"

I heard her moan softly in response, so I proceeded, "You can stay up here… just so you don't have to deal with him too." Honestly, I didn't want my dad scaring her off.

Almost instantly, she lifted her head off my chest and she kissed me on the lips. "You're not embarrassed about me are you?" Her lips pouted a tiny bit and her eyes were full of worry.

"Of course not, it's just," The long pause didn't reassure her, "He's a handful, I promise I'll talk to you about it once he leaves." I moved out from under her and pushed the sheets aside.

From the corner of my eye I could tell she hadn't moved at all, I turned to face her, those beautiful hazel eyes were on the brink of crying.

_Oh Glob, what do I do?_

Bonni inhaled deeply and sighed just as hard, she calmed down and finally spoke, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you in that position. That was completely selfish and unfair of me."

The doorbell rang right before I could respond to the beautiful disaster on my bed.

I pulled on my favorite black t-shirt, put on some red skinny jeans, and fixed the horrible messed on top of my head. We kissed each other one last time before I descended to the bottom floor. Hambo wasn't anywhere nearby but I could hear his deep growl; we both hated my dad, I chuckled a bit before answering the door.

"Hello Mar-Mar." Hunson's voice was smooth and sinister. "Can I come in?"

Trying my best not to upset him with Bonni here, I held open the door. He walked right past me and sat on one of the bar stools in my kitchen. Carefully, he placed his briefcase on the counter and folded his hands over it. "So tell me, how's school going Marceline?"

"Come on dad, quit the small talk. What do you want now?" The palms of my hands were sweating as I clutched them into tight fists.

He gave me this creepy little scoff and then he grinned, "Ha, alright, fine. I have a job offer for you."

I closed the door and moved in towards my Dad, "For the millionth time, no."

Every single time my dad came to visit he always tried his best to get me into his business. This wouldn't be so bad if he did something honest or at least something fun.

"Okay then, how should I break the news to Simon?" He asked rather bluntly.

My heart stopped beating, I felt myself clenching my teeth. That was the last straw, I've tried my best to civil with him but he was just… pure evil.

I walked over to the counter, went right up to his face, and yelled without holding back, "Screw you dad! Trying to guilt trip me just so I can follow your footsteps. What kind of monster does that to his daughter? Unlike you, I visit Simon. Yeah, twice a week, and he doesn't even remember me. So take your sorry ass and get the hell out of here."

I was panting and trembling with anger as I pointed at the door.

_Ugh I want to punch him in his face._

He gave me no reaction, didn't even acknowledge that fact that I just blew up in his face. The bar stool skidded as he got up; he walked to the door and stood there not facing me.

A chuckled surfaced gently and then became a harsh cackling laugh, "Hahaha, you give me a call when you change your mind ok?"

The door closed quietly behind him, I could still hear him laughing from the hallway. I stood my ground for a good 3 minutes until my knees gave out from under me. My entire body was shaking; I could not believe he brought Simon into this_._ The tears I tried so hard to fight back won my control.

A few minutes later Bonnibel knelt before me and lifted my head in her warm loving hands. Seeing the worry in her eyes allowed me to get a grip on my emotions. My crying subsided and I fell into Bonnibel's arms.

_I suppose now is a good time to explain what just happened._

"Let's go sit down, it's going to be a long talk."

She nodded and we walked over to my red couch in the living room.

I sat down, not knowing where to start, but once I started it was hard to hold back all the pain, "My dad's been trying to get me to follow in his footsteps as long as I can remember. He's a lawyer, actually let me rephrase that, he's a shady piece of scum and a waste of human life."

I calmed my breathing until I could continue once again, "He abandoned me when I was 4, just a few months after my mom had died. Since he didn't want to deal with me he got me a caretaker, Simon. Unfortunately, as we got older, Simon started to loose parts of his short-term memory and my father found him 'unfit' to take care of me; we fought our best to stay together. A year later my dad presented medical records showing Simon had Alzheimer's to a judge, since that day, we've been legally separated. Eventually he forgot everything that happened with us, his friends, me and everyone else except his dead wife Betty."

"Oh…" Was all she could say, I didn't blame her, it was a lot to take in.

"My dad got me other caretakers but I never connected with them like I did with Simon. I pushed everyone away from me until my dad decided to let me live on my own. He bought me this loft when I was 15, and I've been here ever since."

My head began to spin, seeing my dad, thinking about Simon and being on a date with this beautiful girl next to me was emotionally draining.

Bonni hugged my side and tilted her head against my shoulder, "I'm sorry Marci, I truly am. It seems like Simon was a great guy, and I also understand why you didn't want me to meet your father."

"He actually wasn't _that_ bad today" I let go of a light laughter.

"Really? Well I'm scared to ask what he does that can make his taunting worse." She rested most of her weight on me and hugged me tighter; the connection between us was helping me get over what had just happened.

"Let's see. He loves to guilt trip me, black mails me, and teases me but most of all he lies to me. I had the hardest time trusting people growing up because my Dad really messed with my head."

"Can I say something without you getting upset?" Bonnibel's hold loosened and I soon felt her lips running against my neck.

I shivered, "Geez Bonni. That's kind of a loaded question. How can I say I won't get mad when I don't know what you're asking?"

Her head lifted of my shoulder and she looked right at me, "Just don't take it offensively, I want to share with you my analysis; however I'm very aware that I don't know everything between the two of you."

_Oh, this is going to be about my Dad and I._

There was a small gap of silence between us; I wasn't too sure what she was going to say but I risked the chance by saying, "Okay, shoot."

"I, in my own personal opinion, believe you two don't understand each other. You know, due to your lack of communication skills. You and your dad can function fine with other people, but when it's with each other it seems confusing. Maybe you two just need to spend more time with each other. Please don't get upset, but that's what I see, purely from observation." She put her head back down on my shoulder so I wrapped my arm around her once more.

"It's complicated, but yeah, for the most part you're right. Just one thing, we will never be able to sit down and mend our broken relationship, it's far too difficult. We can barely be in the same room for 5 minutes" I understood that here intentions were good, she just needed to give her scientific point of view on it, which I didn't mind letting her do. "And for the record, I'm not upset."

"So tell me about Simon." Her soft voice made me melt, I wanted to forgot about the talking and just make out with her but maybe talking things out was a good idea.

We continued sitting on the couch for an hour talking about my memories with Simon. I told her about all the great instruments he would bring over and how he taught me how to play most of the instruments I currently own. I also mentioned the time that he tried to teach me drums, he was a drumming genius, but me not so much.

My finger pointed to a faint scar on my forehead where a drumstick nailed me; I had gotten frustrated with them and flung them on the floor, one of them bounce right back up for its sweet revenge.

Simon would also make up awesome stories about brave warriors and heroes that would fight to the ends of the Earth to win the heart of the princess. He would occasionally tell me a story about how he became a wizard and how he ruled a snowy mountainside; his alias was the Ice King. Even as a kid I thought it was bologna but I never truly doubted him.

Lastly I mentioned how he'd sing 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean' to me every time I freaked out in the middle of a thunderstorm. It was my comfort song and it always reminded my of the times I'd be clutching on to Simon's suit on the verge of tears. Being in his arms brought me relief and I would doze off to sleep with his singing.

Bonni smiled, as she understood the meaning to the song I sang to her that first evening we were together.

By now the mood had lighten up and my emotions were stable. I suggested we end the topic there and continue with our day without further interruptions.

Her beautiful eyes stared long and hard before they could see that I was okay, and then she agreed, "Okay babe." She had a smile on her face that unintentionally turned me on.

I stood up from the couch and pulled her up by her hands. My arms slid down her back before I put them around her waist and I gave her a soft peck on the forehead,

"Come on, I have a surprise for you."

.

**Bonni's POV**

We pulled up to a driveway that lead us to the front of a small white cabin-looking house. The walnut tree behind it engulfed the house, the branches wrapped around its sides, which made it look like a tree house. I could see that the garage door was wide open and inside 5 people were laughing amongst each other.

Marceline turned to me with a great big smile, "Surprise"

"Are these your friends?"

"No, they are my band. So they are more like family then friends." The smile was still on her face and her hand tugged at mine.

_Her band!? No way!_

I felt like I had just won a Noble Prize. (Yes I loved Marci's music THAT much).

The little gasp I let out made Marci laugh. She knew I was super excited to meet her band; I bugged her all week about meeting them. We both exited the car, and walked towards the tree house. As we got closer Marci yelled at the crowd of teenagers. "BMO! NEPTR! I thought you guys were going to be busy all day."

A short, light-skinned, red headed boy responded, "I told you Bmo was excited to show you guys the new mix he made." Suddenly the amplifiers blasted a catchy techno tune, it was mixed with bits and pieces of Marci's singing and then the song came to a sudden halt.

"I only got about a quarter of the way done." The boy behind the mixing board looked like he was youngest out of all of them. His eyes were bright blue and he had aqua headphones hugging his neck. Everyone began to laugh at his comment.

"Sounds great B." Marci acknowledged. Then she grabbed my hand and turned to me, she could tell I was nervous. "Everyone, this is Bonni. She's the Student Body President at our school, and probably our biggest fan."

My cheeks blushed bright red; I didn't know what to say.

"So you're Marceline's girlfriend?" A blonde haired boy blurted without hesitation. His blunt statement made me giggle and Marci gave him a death glare; I definitely felt more comfortable now.

"FINN! Quit putting them on blast." The tanned haired boy next to him gave him a light smack upside the head.

All Marceline could do was laugh at the two boys who were fighting so playfully. "These two bozos here are Finn and Jake. The blonde beauty to their left is Lady, Jake's girlfriend, and the twins are Bmo and Neptr."

"Hello everyone." I smiled as Marci held me from behind. Feeling her embrace gave me courage to speak.

She drew herself closer to me and whispered lightly in my ear, "I forgot to bring down my bass, I'll be right back. You should go sit next to Lady she's pretty cool."

Marceline was about to walk off but she immediately stopped, "Oh she only speaks Korean, but don't worry, she understand English fluently."

"How funny, I actually understand a good amount of Korean."

"I learn something new about you everyday." She shook her with a grin on her face.

I walked towards Lady as Marceline headed back to the car.

She wore a multicolored striped shirt, she was decently tall and the mane on her head was long and blonde. "Hello Lady, I think I had you for Journalism last year." You could tell she was not the 'shy-type' just by her body language when she spoke.

Lady said I looked familiar and that she knew recognized me from somewhere, but once Marci said I was the S.B. President she remembered me clearly.

Jake was about to translate what she had just told me, but I responded right away, "Yeah, Marci tends to introduce me like that, but I suppose it has its benefits." I gave a little shrug and smiled at the couple.

"You understand Korean?" Jake's mouth dropped a tad and the look Lady gave was beyond thrilled.

"Yes, I lived in Korea for 2 years before I started first grade here. My parents were stationed there as animal activists." With that Lady wrapped her long arms around me and told me it was nice to find someone else, besides Jake, who spoke Korean in this little town.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I've heard anyone speak it. Sorry in advance if I'm a little rusty."

Marci returned with her axe bass in hand; from far away this giant red bass looked like a murder weapon, but up close you could tell it was a harmless stringed instrument. She plugged in her equipment and strummed the 4 strings. "Let's get on with our jam session!"

The rest of the band followed her lead; Jake grabbed his bright yellow electric guitar and plugged it into a nearby pedal board.

Finn grabbed his drumsticks out of his back pocket, hopped over to his drum set and almost fell off his little stool.

Bmo stayed by his mixing board adjusting a few of the knobs, and Neptr sat behind them in a small booth doing microphone checks and fiddling with the amplifier volume.

Lady and I sat on an old beat up grey couch facing the band.

She soften her voice just a little bit and told me how hot she thought Jake looked when he was playing his guitar but confessed that it was sexier when he played viola. We giggled in unison like a couple of 10 year olds.

I finally told her I felt the same way about Marci and her instruments but ultimately I loved when she sang with her bass. A slight smile crept up as I looked over at the lean pale girl who was trying to untangle the bundle of cords on the floor.

"So you guys are really a thing?" My eyes turned to Lady's; they weren't in anyway judgmental, but they did look slightly surprised.

Feeling the blood rushing to my cheeks, I let my head hang down a little, "Yeah, I guess we are." I looked at the folded hands on my lap, the little smile still on my face.

"It's nice to see her so happy, we knew something was up at school, but we had no idea she had fallen in love." Lady gave a short gasp and a giggle soon followed, "I probably said too much."

_She loved me?_

My eyes meet hers, the dull grey in her eyes seemed darker now, and I inhaled deeply. Marci gave me that devilish half smile she knows I love and a little wink from her minuscule stage.

The sound of the drums sticks slapping together initiated the music, they played all my favorite songs from their 3 albums. That was including the joke album Marci was afraid of showing me.

Lady and I sang along to all of the songs and we both cheered and clapped by the end of their private show. The band took a small bow accepting our rowdy applause.

Jake noticed the sweat dripping off Finn's head and tossed his little brother a white washcloth. Neptr went over to Bmo's station and pulled out the backboard to do a little maintenance.

Lady nudged me and directed me inside the tree house. To my surprise the house look a lot bigger on the inside then it did on the outside. Lady handed me a few water bottles from the fridge and we headed back out to join the band.

I walked over to Bmo and Neptr, and handed them their water bottles, "You guys are really great. How long have you guys been with the band?"

Both the boys drank the entire bottle in one sitting, Bmo answered first, "This is my second year with them, before that, I would just sit here and watch."

"That's because mom didn't want her little 10 year old genius in a rock band." Neptr teased his little brother. Bmo stuck out his tongue and Neptr rolled his eyes, "I've been with the band for the same amount of time." He wrapped his arm around his brother and tussled up the little patch of red hair on his head.

"You're ten?" My eyes landed on Bmo's.

"No, I was ten when I started." He pulled out a small video game player from his pocket and turned on the power. "I'll be twelve in the spring."

"Well you two have a great talent."

They both thanked me in unison; Bmo was blushing and Neptr was quick to mock him about it.

"Hey Bonni!" Marceline called me over to the beat up couch where she was sitting; she pulled me on her lap and placed her head on my shoulder. "So what did you think?"

"It was so great! You guys really give off good energy; the chemistry between the band is so eminent." I talk way too fast when I'm excited, but everyone enjoyed hearing me rave about him or her. "You guys should play at Homecoming, and Bmo can be the disc jockey."

The chattering soon stopped, and finally Finn spoke, "Really? That would be so math! We would totally give it our 500%, right guys?"

Everyone agreed, and then Marci turned to me and whispered, "You don't have to do that for us, isn't Homecoming in like 3 weeks?"

"Nonsense, you guys are my favorite band, and besides I'm in charge of the music."

This has been one of the few times I actually liked being the Student Body President, the stress factor really burns me out, but being able to make these kinds of calls makes me happy.

Marci hugged me tight and began nibbling at my ear, "Let's go, we still have dinner and we'll go watch a movie at my place later."

I faced Marceline and raised an eyebrow at her, "Are we really going to watch a movie this time?"

She shrugged and did that sexy half smile again.


	6. Poetic Tragedy

**Chapter 6:**

**Poetic Tragedy**

Simon entered the poorly lit bedroom of Marceline Abadeer; little Marci was lying on her stomach with a tin of crayons to her side.

Classical music filled the air, the room was cold and the overall vibe was heartbreaking. The sound of the door squeaking open made her turn her attention to the old man who stood there in a navy blue suit.

She didn't pay too much attention to him because she wasn't in the mood for meeting new people. She looked away and continued at the unfinished portrait of a vast strawberry field.

When Hudson asked Simon to watch over Marci he could tell it was out of pure desperation but seeing this poor girl here, not wanting to communicate with the world, he could tell Hudson wasn't doing a very good job of being there for her as a father. He walked over to the little girl who continued to ignore his presence, and gently said hello.

"Hello there Marceline, my name is Simon, I'm your…" He paused not knowing what to say next.

The awkward silence made the girl look up to the old man, she wondered what he wanted to say but couldn't let out.

Simon crouched beside her before he sat Indian style on the floor; he pulled a piece of paper in front of him and grabbed a few crayons; all different shades of blue.

As he rummaged through the tin, he noticed that all the red crayons were worn down to the nub. "Is red your favorite color?" The old man held up a few of the remaining chunks of red crayon.

Marceline nodded her head, the whole time she didn't take her eyes off him. He had a subtle charm to him and he tried his very best to talk to her, but why she wondered.

"My favorite color is blue, as you can see." The man in the blue suit put his eyes on his paper then did a quick sketch and held it up to show Marci. "I also love penguins, how about you?"

The little girl shook her head so hard her jet-black hair fell from behind her ear and covered her cheek. She pushed back a couple of pages in her drawing book and pointed to a picture of a cat, a giraffe, then a bear.

Simon seemed very interested, rubbing his chin trying to give the child all the attention he knew she deserved. "Well would you look at that? Those are all amazing animals."

Marceline's eyes perked up with delight, the only other person who had given her that kind of attention was her mom.

Soon the happiness died down, she hung her head and stared at the silly picture of a cat licking its front paw. She didn't notice Simon leaving the room; her thoughts were clouded with sadness and fear.

Simon entered the room undetected and stood about a yard away from the little girl.

What finally caught her attention was the soft purring of a kitten in her room, it gave out a little yowl and she lifted her head only to see Simon pulling out a charcoal colored cat from inside his suit.

"How did you do that?" She finally spoke, after months of failed attempts by everyone else; Simon got her to say something.

He set the kitten down next to the little girl and rose up, "Why, didn't I tell you? I'm a wizard! I have all sorts of magical powers." He wiggled his fingers up and down and gave a dumb little pose. "Look!" He pulled a small red collar from his pant pocket and presented it to the youngster.

Marci's eyes grew wide, he DID know magic, but there was no way he was a wizard. She watched him place the little red collar on the kitten and laughed once she saw the cat did not approve of his new apparel.

"So what shall we name him?" Simon finally decided to sit next to the girl, he placed the kitten on his lap and the rascal began to gnaw at his knuckles. "How about Sebastian?"

Marceline stuck her tongue out in disapproval, the notion made Simon give out a great big laugh.

She put her hand on her chin and thought long and hard.

"Hambo. I think he looks like a Hambo." Since the old man gave her no response she started to give the name a second thought.

Simon picked the kitten up and examined the feline, "Hambo huh? That suits him perfectly." He handed her the kitten and it nestled itself into a nice ball in her arms. "Do you think you can handle him? If not I can just put him back into my pocket and we'll be on our way."

The thought of the old man shoving the adorable kitten back into his tiny pocket made Marci gasp, "No, he'll be happier here then in your suit."

"I suppose you're right," The man in the blue suit fixed his brown hair with his hand, and then asked, "Do you like music?"

Marceline LOVED music, the only music she knew was classical, but regardless, the passion was there. She nodded her head, with that Simon left the room not saying a word.

"What a butt, why did he leave without saying anything?" His absence made little Marceline sad, she was starting to like him. He was taking quite a while; maybe he decided to leave her she thought. The thought of Simon abandoning her made the young girl sad, she began to weep with the kitten in her arms.

The sound of a guitar cut through the classical music that had been playing in Marceline's room. Then Simon sang out to the poetic tragedy that was sitting and crying on her hardwood floor.

_"She left a week to roam, your protector's coming home._

_Keep your secrets where you go, safe from the outside world._

_You walk along the stream, your head caught in a waking dream._

_Your protector's coming home, coming home._

_As you lay to die beside me, baby, on the morning that you came,_

_Would you wait for me? The other one would wait for me._

_As you lay to die beside me, baby, on the morning that you came,_

_Would you wait for me? The other one would wait for me."_

Marci's crying stopped, she was moved by Simon's lyrics; the beautiful words sung with the guitar, it amazed her. It was the loveliest mixture of sounds and emotions she's ever heard.

"Music can help you understand and communicate your feelings. If you want I can teach you." Simon knelt in front of the little girl; he placed the guitar next to him and smiled at her. Marceline put the sleeping kitten on a nearby rug and sprung into Simon's arms. She grasped his neck with her little arms, and hung with the tips of her toes barely giving support. Simon returned the hug, and he could hear her breathing calming down.

Marci stayed in his strong arms for what seemed like forever, she didn't feel alone anymore; she felt loved once again.

_Marci_

…_Marceline_

**Marceline's POV**

"Marci" Bonni's beautiful voice cooed. "It's almost eleven."

I blinked hard several times to allow myself to enter my conscious state.

_Eleven already?_

There was a long morning yawn dying to leave my body before I turned to look at the beautiful girl on my bed. She allowed my fingers to run in her stunning strawberry blonde hair.

I was so happy she decided to sleep over; we planned on visiting Simon today. This day was going to be a little harder then yesterday, but Simon means the world to me and I wanted Bonnibel to meet him.

My gazed stayed on her and I made sure she knew I was staring. Her light pink hair was spread across her pillow, she had a soft glow in her skin, and my thin sheets lightly covered her figure.

I bit my lip remembering last night, how great it felt to sleep with her in my arms, "How'd you sleep?"

She reacted to my lip biting, and blushed, "I slept well, until your snoring woke me up." Her tongue stuck out a tiny bit and she scrunched up her nose; even then, she was the most gorgeous girl I had ever laid eyes on.

"I do _not_ snore!" I grabbed the pillow out from under my head and tossed it in her direction.

Bonnie dodged the attack and diverted the pillow toward poor sleeping Hambo. There was no way I was going to hold back my laughter after seeing that. She saw I was defenseless and quickly rolled over on top of me to pinned my arms down.

_Why would I resist this?_

I gawked at her beauty, glob, this girl had me in the palm of her hand.

"Marci?" Her eyes looked right into mine and then she lowered her lips a few inches away from my ear. I was panting **hard**. I couldn't tell if it was from the laughing or from the rush she gave me, her soft whisper sent all kinds of chills down my spine, "I love you."

The small grin on my face soon became an enormous smile. She let go of my arms, so I let my hands run up her back. I pulled her in closer so she could lower herself completely on me.

"That's not fair, first you say I snore, then you beat me at saying 'I love you'."

_Say it back jerk._

Hambo yowled, and cried until we gave him some sort of attention. I couldn't break my gaze of her, it was too hard, but Hambo was really pushing my buttons.

"Hambo you fat cat, just wait 5 more minutes!"

Bonnibel cracked up so hard she gave out a little snort, "Come on Marci he's been crying all morning, I fed him breakfast but there's _no way_ I'm giving him lunch." She made a face to match her disgust.

I got up from the bed and walked over to Hambo, "Didn't I tell you?" I chuckled a little, "Pretty gross right?" She couldn't help but agree with me now.

Once the three of us were fed and ready for the day we were on our way to meet Simon. I held the car door open for Bonni, all in the meantime I kept thinking about what she said. I shook my head and laughed to myself as I closed the door.

_You're crazy for loving me._

The car's engine sparked to life and I pushed in an old folk CD given to me by Simon. I reached over to hold on to Bonni's hand as we exited the parking lot. The daylight warmed my cold cheeks, it was so beautiful outside, and eventually my thoughts keep going back to those three words Bonni told me.

I loved her too, but every time I wanted to tell her I couldn't get a single word out. After 20 minutes of arguing to myself in silence, we arrived our destination. The engine came to a stop when I pulled the key from the ignition. My forehead hit the steering wheel.

_Why can't I just say it?_

Bonnie put her hand on my back; I could feel the warmth of her hand through my shirt. My head turned attention to her and she had a small smile on her face.

"Ready?"

.

**Bonni's POV**

We entered the residency, it kind of smelt like a hospital, but it was very welcoming and it was decorated like my grandparent's house. The first area we walked into was a small reception station with no windows.

Marci gave the receptionist our names and we filled out visiting logs, received nametags and were buzzed through an armored gate.

"This place is really secured." I quietly stated to myself.

Marceline heard and responded, "It has to be, most of the residents don't know where they are and they tend to freak out from time to time. It's not meant to be like a jail, but letting an elder out into the streets not knowing their own names and their judgment impaired… well… it's just not safe for them. "

It made sense, I agreed, but I had never walked into a place like _this_; there was no way I knew what to expect.

The hallway we took lead to a wide living area with a few dozen tables covering the large floor, a sizeable bookshelf with countless books and table full of sugar free snacks.

Right as we entered the room an elderly lady called Marci and I over to come talk to her. I followed Marci's lead to the lady sitting at a table with her cup of tea and a slice of pie.

"Well aren't you two the most adorable things I've ever seen." The little lady brought both her hands together and gave us a genuinely happy smile.

I saw something change in Marci; it was so unexpected I let my jaw drop a tad.

"Us!? Look at you! You must have all the boys here drooling. How are you today Margaret?" Marceline leaned over and gave her the most tender hug then a little kiss on her cheek.

"Oh Marceline, you know these boys always drool over me," Margaret delighted in her southern accent before she cackled and coughed a few times; she contained herself and then continued, "Here to see Simon I assume?" She leaned her head to the side to looked at me, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your pretty friend."

"I'm so sorry Marge, this is Bonnibel. Bonni this is Margaret T. Trunks, she and her husband live here." Marci grabbed my hand and lightly pulled me to her side.

"It's very nice to meet you ma'am." She remembered Marci, how could she with her condition? I couldn't help but wonder and give myself some scientific hypothesis.

"The pleasure's all mine. Would you two like to join me for tea and apple pie?" Marge motioned at a couple of chairs next to her and we accepted the kind offer. She poured me a cup of tea and Marceline declined.

"I think we're good on the pie today Marge." Marci waved her hand lightly and I nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Trunks and Marci talked a little bit about Simon, I finished my tea and thanked her for her kindness before Marceline gave her one final hug.

We passed by a few of the residents that were watching an old musical, it was filmed in black and white and almost everyone sang along to the songs. Others were playing board games or reading a book, however there were a few not really doing much of anything just sitting staring at a wall or just looking down at their hands.

Every person we passed Marci politely said hello to, and all the men and women became lively with the simple attention she gave. Marceline got to the end of the room, entered a pin number on a keypad and pushed through a double door.

Before I could enter she turned to me, her face gave no reaction, her attitude changed so drastically.

"The people we will meet here are not as active," she gave a little pause and continued, "most of them can't walk, or talk, but there are a few that can. Please don't be scared, I know in my heart they understand everything that's going around them so don't act any different."

That really took me by surprise, but once we were in the vicinity I understood Marci's side talk with me.

Most of the people there were in giant chairs that looked like strollers, others were being hand fed by caregivers and the rest were just sitting on a nearby couch sleeping.

"Hello HELLO beautiful ladies!" She raised her voice a little louder just to get the ladies attention. A few of them waved, others you could see the joy fill their eyes. She did not leave until every single person in that room got a hug, a kiss and a formal greeting from the two of us.

"Marceline!" Cried older gentlemen from the back room. He was sitting on a sofa with a table pulled up in front of him. He was starting a jigsaw puzzle that would later become a photo of a coral reef.

"Hey there Billy! Where are you hiding my old man at huh?" She gave him a playful light nudge with her shoulder and she kissed his cheek.

"He's probably in his room getting that darn penguin of his, have you given any thought about joining my platoon? You'd be a stunning spy you know." He crossed his arms and he gave me a little wink. "You can be our personal nurse young lady."

"Eww Bill! Stop trying to steal my lady." Marceline grabbed my hand; I couldn't help but giggle at their bickering.

"You're lucky I'm an old man, otherwise she'd leave you for my hunky goodness." Billy gave me a few flexing poses and lifted his cane in the air.

"Are you kidding, you're still a hunk." I gave the old man a kiss on his cheek and I sat myself next to him.

He put his arm around me and gave a little shout, "YEE HEE! I still got it!" Marceline laughed and pretended to be sad until Billy finally decided that the army would not approve of his new girlfriend and returned me to her.

We left the gentle being to continue his puzzle in peace and we turned to a small hallway that housed a few bedroom doors. She stopped in front of the door that read "ROOM 339 SIMON"

I could hear the small sigh she gave out and then reached for my hand.

"Marci?"

She looked at me, she still had a smile, but it was her eyes were full of sadness.

"I'm really excited to meet Simon."

Her smile grew a little bigger then she opened the door and there sat the elderly man on his bed petting a stuffed penguin. "Oh sweetie, you know very well I can't let you run around all wet on a cold day like today, you'll get sick."

Marci knocked on the wall next to us so he could note our presence.

The man turned to look at us, and set his stuffed animal down, "You sit here Gunther, Daddy will scope out the scene." Simon walked over to us and ultimately turned his attention to me. "So you finally decided to come back to me huh Princess?" He laughed and clapped his hands in happiness, "I've been waiting here forever for you Betty! Let's go home." He grabbed my wrist and was trying to pull me out the door.

Marceline couldn't help but defend me, she knew Simon a lot better, she smack his hand away and gave him a sharp tone, "Stop it Simon, this is Bonnibel. Please don't do that again, you're going to freak her out." She walked in front of him and held his hand, "It's me, Marci, remember?"

He had the blankest stare in his eyes, "Nice to meet you Marci, now please excuse me, my princess is waiting from me over there." He pointed in my direction; the situation didn't freak me out, Marceline told me yesterday that he acts like a child and doesn't even remember his own name, but in the end he's harmless, and I trusted Marci.

I stood there not knowing what to do, I felt helpless as I could see Marci trying to get Simon to talk to her. She mentioned music, instruments, bands and even Hambo was thrown in the mix, just so she could spark some sort of interest in him. All he did was talk to Gunther and tried to get my attention.

There was a short period of time where he talked about drums and music, but he took this opportunity to sing a song to me.

Marceline held in her frustration really well, we both knew it wasn't his fault, but Marci was in serious pain, she just missed her old friend.

"I just wanted to let you know my training for the Alzheimer's marathon is going well, I even got a few sponsors from school." She sighed and gave her friend a kiss on his cheek, "I'll come and see you in a few days, try an stay out of trouble okay?"

Of course she was ignored the whole time, but by now Marceline had her limit. She walked towards me, I could tell she was going to say something, but I decided to speak up first.

"Are you ok?"

Marci nodded, her lips were pressed tightly against her teeth, I could tell she was trying not to cry.

"Sing to him."

Seeing the other residents singing to that musical earlier gave me an idea, what if you could bring up memories by music. Marceline told me Simon's life revolved around music so what if we could bring up certain parts of his past?

She shook her head, "He doesn't listen to me Bonni." Marceline took my hand, but I had to pull away.

_She just has to try._

"Please try, just once." I pleaded, "I was going through a couple of solutions and hypothesis and I really think this could work. Maybe he'll remember something."

Her tone changed, "Just drop it Bonni, I just want to go home, please." She looked away from me, her stubborn personality was too proud to pay any attention to me.

"You haven't even…" I began, but was quickly cut off.

"This isn't an experiment you can solve Bonni, there is no cure for this, okay? No one knows anything about this disease, how it starts, how is can be prevented, or how to get rid of it, just give up ok?" Marci let out silent tears; there was no anger, just sadness. I made her repeat the depressing facts she was forced to come to terms with; I felt horrible, but something had to be done.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

I turned my attention to Simon and began to sing.

_"My Bonnie lies over the ocean,_

_My bonnie lies over the sea._

_My Bonnie lies over the ocean,_

_So bring back my Bonnie to me."_

Simon immediately turned his attention to me, "My granddaughter _loves _that song."

"See, he doesn't even have a granddaughter. Can we go now please?" She hissed angrily between her teeth and began to storm towards the door.

Simon snapped back at the comment, "I do too! Her name is Marceline and she's the prettiest little baby in this world."

There was a sudden stillness in the room.


	7. Midnight Picnic

**Chapter 7:**

**Midnight Picnic**

**Bonni's POV**

My front door let out a low squeak as I pushed my way in the dark lifeless house.

I switched on the lights, and then released a much needed sigh. It's been fives days since I last saw Marceline, it's selfish to say, but it was totally unfair of her to just vanish in thin air like that.

I could see my silhouette in my bedroom mirror as I walked into my laboratory; actually it was more like my den. I tossed my bookbag on the loveseat next to my workbench and it immediately fell off.

My frustrations with my emotions were starting to get to my head.

"Come on Bonnibel, get a grip."

I lifted the bag and pulled out my binder, on the cover was a picture my parents recently sent me of them in the rain forest; the scenery alone was beautiful, but seeing their faces helped remove the sadness I felt. What I really wanted to do was review my personal notes and research on Alzheimer's.

_I wish Marci were here so I could interview her and ask her a few questions._

My eyebrows furrowed, I was stubbornly angry with her for her lack of attendance. My anger was mainly based on my infatuation with her.

_Maybe it's because I said 'I love you' too soon._

I moved over to my workbench staring at my binder, and subsequently I reached for my home phone and dialed Marceline's number. The receiver let out two short rings then silence, not even a voice mail. The phone dropped to my lap after I ended the call.

Seeing my binder lightened my spirit; at least research could drown away this sorrow.

As I pulled papers from every area in my binder I reminded of where I was left when I decided to put this away for the day. Unmistakably I was at a dead end.

It was hard to admit but Marci was right. Everything ever documented or tested was never completed or guaranteed. On the contrary, most of the work I came across were solely theories that were unacknowledged by other scientist.

My research went deeper only to find that there were no known medicines proven to cure, prevent, or reduce the spreading of this disease; at most I found some trialed remedies that helped eased patients discomfort towards the end of their journey. Which leaded me to my next predicament. I came across constant reports of something called a "decline" phase, or the end phase. Once a patient with Alzheimer's hits this spiraling down fall, well, lets just say there is no way of getting back from it. The body slowly shuts down, it spanned anywhere from a few days to as long as a month.

A shiver ran down my spine just by thinking of these people dying a slow saddening death.

I rubbed my temples, trying to understand this was not difficult, but allowing this depressing information into my thoughts was.

The dim lighting in the lab began to bother my eyes so I reached into my desk drawer for my glasses. Once they were on my nose I turned the desk lamp on as well.

My papers covered every square inch of my workstation I sorted my private notes from my other sources then filed them in chronological order. To most people the breakthroughs in these cases were insignificant, but in science any small change opened up a whole new world of opportunity. I remained hopeful; Marceline needed someone to care as much as she did.

It only seemed like a few minutes had passed since I turned my lamp on, I looked up from my studies and noticed the setting sun from my window. My sense of time was always thrown off when I was concentrating of my studies.

I pushed away from my desk and allowed myself to get up and stretch my arms and legs. My arms reach high above me and my muscles thanked me for the small break.

A voice startled me, "You look really cute in glasses you know."

Out of pure panic I grabbed the closest object near me and threw it right for the voice that surprised me. My eyes closed shut and I could hear the glass beaker breaking against the floor.

"Woh, HEY! Bonni's it's just me." I opened one eyes at a time and found myself staring right into a pair of cloudy grey eyes. A great big grin formed on Marci's face and she advanced towards me.

My first reaction was to yell at her for scaring me like that, the second was to cry for disappearing for a week and the third was to turn away in anger.

I took the third option, and sat back down at my workbench; I pretended like I was continuing my studies, but I just sat there waiting to hear what she had to say for herself.

"Hey babe, what's wron…" I couldn't help but cut her off in anger.

"What's wrong!? You scared the living daylights out of me for one. " I felt myself tighten my hands into fists but quickly took control, I hung my head like a child in shame and quietly whispered, "Where were you?"

I could hear Marci's feet shuffling, then suddenly they stopped, "I'm sorry Bonni, you left your front door unlocked, I just didn't think to ring the bell. About me, I had to make a small trip to see if what Simon said was in fact true."

Her voice softened and from the nearby sound of her voice I could tell she was sitting on the small couch besides me, "It was, he's my mom's dad. If I want to know what happened between him and my family I'd have to ask my dad, but right now that probably isn't a good idea."

I refused to look up; I've never experienced such stubbornness in my life, but this I couldn't help. I felt so hurt, but so blissful knowing she was here with me.

"I know I've been a terrible girlfriend up until now, but please let me make this up to you." She held out her hand for me to take, I finally looked up to see her pale face; she had a small frown and her lips pouted a little.

"You aren't terrible Marci, I was just, worried and enraged." I took her hand and we both stood up.

Marceline ran her fingers in my hair and it sent a cold shiver down my spine, "I can tell, again, I'm sorry." She kissed me gently on the cheek then she moved over to my neck; my breathing became heavy and it slowed dramatically.

"Where are we…mmm…going?" I tried to ask between all the other noises I was making.

She pulled away and gave me a grin. "Midnight picnic."

We drove deep into the hills of the countryside, mainly on dirt roads that seemed to be untouched by other folk. The shadows and moonlight gave the scene a beautiful eerie tone to it; like a black and white photograph.

She parked her car beside a large birch tree and she grabbed her backpack from the back seat. Her hand held on to mine and she lead my through the thick bush of the forest, when suddenly a path cleared and in the middle of nowhere there was an widen open field. Along this field there was a small apple orchard and a small cluster of berry bushes.

Marci put her bag down and pulled out a blanket, she sat down with her legs apart so I could sit in between. I took the offer and she covered me with her arms and blanket. We were leaning against an apple tree and every so often she would offer me some apples or berries.

"Go to sleep, I'll wake you when it's time." She began to hum me a song and her strong hold on me made me feel protected.

"Time for what?" I murmured softly, trying not to show the fatigue in my voice.

She hushed, and tucked her head in between my shoulder and neck. "You'll see." She cradled me gently; I had the raging sky above and the love of my life holding me. She sang me some songs until I drifted off to sleep.

.

**Marci's POV**

The sky stayed a deep midnight blue ever since the moon descended behind the rolling hills. There was a soft glow from the stars that helped light the pitch-black sky.

I inhaled deeply and buried my head in Bonni's shoulder again; she slept silently between my legs, leaning against my chest. The low cut pink t-shirt she was wearing made her shoulders and neck vulnerable to my kissing and nibbling, but right now I just wanted to hear our breathing while we stared at the stars.

"Wake up beautiful." I sang to Bonnibel. The look she had on her face looked peaceful, I felt a little bad for waking her up.

After a few minutes of silence, Bonni's beautiful voice finally filled my ears, "See that really bright star above us?" I lifted my head from her shoulder and looked up at the noticeably bright star.

"Yeah I do, what about it?" my voice spoke softly into her ear, I began to nibble her warm earlobe and she moaned in approval.

"Mmm… People call it the 'North Star' a lot, but in actuality it's Jupiter. The planet is visible in our location every fall/winter, it will always be surrounded by the same consolations. That's why sailors use the stars to guide them through the ocean." Bonni loved sharing knowledge like this, she loved every aspect of science, whether it was biology, astrology or even anatomy she loved it all. I really enjoyed her telling me little facts like this because I knew this is what she loved; this was 100% Bonnibel talking to me, it was genuine.

I gave out a small sigh, she couldn't see my smile, but I couldn't be any happier right now. "That's really awesome Bonni, are there any other planets out there tonight?"

She replied instantly, "Mars is right there." Her finger pointed off to the west and she continued, "Those stars aligned together right there, under Jupiter, that's Orion's belt. It's not a planet but it is a visible consolation. Orion means 'Hunter' in Greek. You can see his bow there and the rest of his body behind."

I let myself lean my back against the tree behind me but Bonni sat straight up with the blanket now to her side. Her light pink hair was tied back, she wore that really sexy pink shirt that exposed her shoulders and tonight she wore some skinny dark blue jeans.

_Tell her you love her, you butt._

My voice trembled a little when I called for her, "B-Bonni?" She turned her head, then her entire body, until she was facing me. Her hand reached for mine as she knelt in front of me.

"Yeah?" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and she smiled at me; I loved the way I made her smile.

I froze, not a word came out.

_Glob, I'm so smooth._

My mouth opened but all I got out was, "…uhh."

My head felt heavy, my stomach began to do summersaults, and my throat had a knot in it. I hung my head and just sat there in defeat once again. The war between my head versus heart was beginning to annoy me.

_I love her, so why can't I just say it?_

"Umm… nevermind." I clenched my teeth in anger. This had proved to be more difficult then my heart promised.

"Hey Marci?' When I lifted my eyes her smile was gone; her hand pulled away and she set it on her lap. "What really happened? You went MIA on everyone for five whole days."

I forgot about the internal fight amongst myself and gave her my honest answer, "I needed time to think, about what happened with Simon. I wanted answers, I was angry, sad, happy, I was just a, a mess." The sun peaked its rays over the small stretch of hills out in the distance. My eyes shifted to the floor, I saw leaf tumble next to us from the light breeze.

"You didn't call, visit, I didn't hear from you. I was so worried; I just didn't know what to think. Jake, Finn, Lady, no one knew what had happen to you." Bonni wrapped her arms around me, and placed her head on my collarbone. I could hear her crying, she was really worried and I felt like such a jerk for disappearing like that.

"I'm sorry, please don't cry. Hey." Her head left the comfort of my chest and looked up at me. "I will _never_ do that again, I promise." My lips found hers and we lay together on the slightly damp grass; the sun was beginning to warm the air, I stop our passion for a few seconds to show her the reason why I brought her here in the first place.

The sky lit up with an assortment of colors, the hills beamed all sorts of yellows and oranges, the grass turned green and a few of the clouds became bright pink. Soon, every cloud in the sky was filled with the beautiful color; they looked like bundles of cotton candy. I heard Bonni squeal in excitement, "This is so breathtaking." She gasped, "Wow, look at the sky! The lack of light and air pollution really makes a difference." Her eyes sparkled, her mouth was left open and I could see her grip the grass in between her fingers.

I felt around behind me for my backpack, once I got it I unzipped the small pouch and grabbed a little mason jar from my bag. I filled it with every pink candy you could think of: gummy bears, jellybeans, hard candies, lollipops bubblegum, and licorice. Bonni's eyes widen and her jaw dropped completely, she didn't say a word, but I knew this really blew her mind.

"When I decided to disappear I came here," I placed the mason jar in between our bodies and I ran my finger on the lid, "Every morning I would see the sky glow this beautiful shade of pink and it reminded me of you. I missed all the nerdy science stuff you told me everyday, the way you smell like gummy bears when we kiss, all the pink you wear, everything, it drove me crazy."

Bonnibel giggled a little, and then sat up; she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them with both her arms. She set her chin on her knees and let out a sigh. "I thought you left because I told you I loved you."

I pushed myself up and wiggled myself next to her, trust me, I drove all my courage to let out those words, but still nothing. She wanted to hear me say it back; otherwise she wouldn't be so worried.

"You're the best dream come true. When you're around I feel limitless and brave. You make me feel understood even when I know I suck at expressing my feelings. I love the way you always mention science, I'll never get sick of it. I love the way you blush every time I whisper your name. I love the way I make you smile. I love waking up to the sound of your voice. I have a million reasons why I love you, but I can't find a way to say it to you. Every person I've ever loved has left me, I know what I feel for you is true, but the little kid in me is freaking out saying you'll leave if I love you." Our eyes were locked on to each other's, we were silent for a few minutes, and then it happened.

"I love you, more then you'll ever know, or even want to admit. Please don't ever doubt my love for you; I will _always_ love you. It's selfish to ask, but please don't leave me." After it was said and done I felt like I was out of breathe, my heart pounded against my chest and I could feel myself shaking just a little. Oddly I felt like crying, it was strange to blurt my feelings out like that, but seeing Bonni's reaction somehow made me stop second guessing myself.

She placed her hand on my cheek and kissed my temple. "I'm just happy to know you love me just the same. I will never leave your side, unless you want me to, but other then that I'm as good as yours." She kissed my neck and we fell back against the grass once more.

The warmth of her body made my body tremble, she ran a single finger down from my neck to my navel. She lightly pushed her hand under my red hoodie and grasped on to my sides.

This was not the time to be thinking _that_ way, but I just went a whole week without seeing my girlfriend. I took my chances and invited her over to my place; she gladly accepted.

We walked through the small forest until we found my little red car parked under a large birch tree. I let her pick a CD and we were on our way. We rolled our windows down and let the 80's punk rock fill the abandoned countryside.

Bonni and I exited the car and entered my loft, I could tell she was still tired; her cheeks were flushed and her eyes seemed a little heavy. I turned to close the door behind us as we stepped inside my home; needless to say I was very surprised at the way Bonni came lunging towards me when she heard the door securely lock behind me. She pressed against my body and my back crashed lightly on the door, her lips pressed a little more aggressively this time and her fingers gripped the belt loops of my pants; she beckoned my hips closer to hers and I was caught in her trance.

I wrapped my arms around her body, kissing hungrily at her soft pink lips; I was able to lift Bonni onto my kitchen counter, she wrapped her arms around my neck and her thighs around my sides. Suddenly we heard a little clank, we both simultaneously looked onto the tiled floor and saw two things that shocked us: a black sealed envelope with my name written in crimson letters and Hambo's red collar.

My body tensed up and I struck my fist on the counter next to Bonnibel, which evidently made her jump. My voice got into that deep growl and I hissed between my tightly clenched teeth, "Why does he have to ruin everything?"


	8. Pain and Pleasure

**Chapter 8:**

**Pain and Pleasure**

**Marci's POV**

We raced down the highway well above the speed limit, and right now I could have cared less. Bonni tried her best to settle me down and even wanted to reason with me about how fast I was driving, but I couldn't pay attention to her.

It's almost as if my Dad knew I had a bone to pick with him, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew I tried looking up death records and birth certificates. I tighten my grip on my steering wheel as we approached our destination.

I slammed my car door shut and was already leaving Bonni behind; I was fuming in anger, my head was searching for ways to yell at him, but I stopped in my tracks and turned to Bonnibel.

Her expression was all I needed to see; she was frightened, all because of me. I had to say something but first I had to cool it and calm my temper down.

"Please forgive me in advance, I might say or do something that you might not like."

"Just don't do anything stupid Marci," her eyes were worried, and she was wringing her wrist with one hand, "Are you sure you want me to go in there with you?" She looked up and stared at the stone gargoyles perched above my father's law building.

"I need you more then anything else in this world right now." My hand hugged hers gently and her gaze moved from the building to my face; she nodded and we made our way to the entrance.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out a laminated work badge. The monitor beeped as I waved the plastic card in front and it unlocked the door.

The receptionist looked up at our arrival, she already knew who I was, and I bet she knew I had an appointment with my dad. Regardless, I walked past her desk and continued down the hall to my father's office.

"He's in a meeting Marceline!" the middle-age woman yelled towards us.

"So what"

When I pushed open the door I saw Hunson sitting closely with a male. They were both laughing and he stood up to shake his hand.

"I'm glad I was able to help you out this time around Hudson." He turned his attention to Bonni and I. His hair was cropped short and was a deep burgundy color, he looked at us in perplexity and continued, "It looks like you have your hands full. I'll catch you tomorrow."

The tall man walked past us, I was able to spot a gold badge on his suit that read, "Fire Chief", and then he shut the door behind him.

"Where's Ham?" I slammed the tiny old collar on the coffee table in front of where my Dad was sitting.

"Hey Marci, nice to see you too. Who's your friend?" He talked so smoothly, he gave no other emotion when he spoke, it always sounded as if he had no care in the world and everything was fine.

Hunson stood from his lounging area and moved over to his large desk. He unlocked a small drawer and drew out a tiny pair of keys; he took a seat and he motioned us to do the same.

I grabbed the collar, tugged at Bonni's shirt and we walked together towards my old man. He crossed his hands on his desk and his eyes intently looked at Bonni's hazel eyes as we sat down on a pair of leather seats.

"First things first, don't be rude and introduce me to your friend." He gave us a creepy smile.

"Who she is doesn't concern you." I crossed my arms across my chest and slouched in the leather chair.

He held up the tiny gold keys like they were significant to me, "Fine, but with that attitude I won't be giving you these."

"Why should I care" I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing their true value. My attention strayed to Bonnibel; she sat stiff in her seat, her gaze was fixated on the certificates and diplomas on the wall behind Hunson. I could tell she was trying her best to become invisible.

"Because Hambo's in a rather small cage in my home office and, would you look at that, I have the keys right here." He teased me, jingling the scraps of metal in front my face, and he gave me an evil grin.

I bit my tongue trying my best not to loose my cool; he always gave his best effort to make me feel defeated.

"Now answer me this: What were you doing at the Civic Center on Tuesday? Also, what is the reason for you missing out on a whole week of school?" His voice was stern but sill gave off a nonchalant quality.

He kept treating me like a little child, he knew exactly how to break me; he tortured and mocked me and I just somehow took it.

I looked up and glared into Hudson's coal black eyes, "Simon recently told me I was his granddaughter, I looked into it, and found out it was true. I spent the whole week trying to piece everything together, but ultimately, I was making an effort to not come over here and kick the stuff out of you."

"That's no way to talk to your father in front of your friend here." He cocked his head at Bonnibel who was trying her best to stay out of the crossfire.

"She's not my _friend_, she's my girlfriend. Now why the hell did you think it was okay to keep this from me and why didn't Simon tell me any of this before?" I stood up and pushed the chair harshly behind me. Bonni felt her hand into mine, and I gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"That was between your mother and Simon, Marci. I don't know why he never told you. I'm obviously shocked to see that he didn't say a word to you " There was no way of knowing if what he said was all truthful, he has a reputation for being a comfortable liar.

He slid the keys across the table and my hand stopped its motion, "You can't get into law school with poor attendance, Marceline." He focused his attention to his computer screen and just like that diverted the problem altogether.

I stood there with Bonni's hand still placed into mine. "No matter how much you push, I'm not going to Law School." The soft clicks of his keyboard were the only sound we heard coming from his direction. Again, I was ignored.

We headed for his crown-molded door, and right when I turned the handle bar he said to us, "Just do something productive with your life. It's nice to see you can commit to something other then yourself." Hudson looked over his computer monitor and stared at Bonnibel. "It was a pleasure meeting you Miss."

I felt confused, the way everything turned out, it just felt surreal. My cheeks blushed, not knowing if it was from anger, embarrassment or liking the fact that my Dad approved of Bonni. We got into my car, the both of us settled in quietly, and I thanked the pretty pink haired girl for the support.

We left the law office and made our way to my Dad's mansion.

After yelling at the guard at the front gate of my father's house I finally parked my car on the stone paved driveway and pleaded to my girl to accompany me. She nodded and we stepped into the large cold household of the Abadeer Manor. My dad was into some really disturbing gothic style paintings and statues; it felt like we just walked into an old Victorian haunted house. The echoed sound of Hambo's cries made Bonnibel jump into my arms; I couldn't hold back the laugher and lead her to the office.

We did not spend any additional time in Husdon's home, I could tell Bonni was a little scared being in a house with crimson painted walls with a color pallet of black, grey and brown. Hambo sat on her lap the entire car ride home, rubbing his head against her chest and meowing like playful young kitten.

"Hey you old fart, keep your paws off my lady."

Ham growled like he understood the light threat I just gave him and Bonni giggled. I parked the car and placed the old mangled collar on Hambo's neck, the corner of my mouth lifted "It's good to have you home Bud."

I looked at Bonni's beautiful face, her teeth were gently biting her lip and she had desire in her eyes. "Let's go inside."

All I could do was gulp and follow behind her with a million things going through my head. This time she opened the door and set Hambo down unto the red couch. She turned her head over her shoulder and looked back at me with the same expression from the car.

Bonnibel scaled up the ladder to my room and I soon realized I was standing there dumbfounded. I quickly snapped back into reality and followed behind her. I hoisted myself unto the second floor and walked over to her while she was reading a page from my lyric journal; warm air hung around my room and the only light came from a small slit of sunlight that broke pass my curtains.

My hoodie made a small plop as I tossed it to the floor; this caught Bonni's attention and she stared at me from the small distance between us.

I wrapped my hands over both her wrists and pulled her up so our faces were only inches apart. The heat from her lips grazed my lower lip causing me to sigh from the lust.

Golden hazel gems clashed with my smoky grey stones; I let my grip around her wrist increase slightly as I pulled her body against mine. Bonnibel submitted and allowed my to take control this time.

By now my heart was racing and a warm feeling built up from the underside of my belly.

"Marci?" Her voice only added fire to this burning sensation of desire, "It's ok to love me."

That was it, I closed my eyes and I finally let my heart guide the way.

**Bonni's POV**

Marceline's hands released the assertive hold on my wrists and instead made their way gently onto my hips.

I allowed my hands to move from the lengths of her arms up to her neck. I could feel the goosebumps covering her pale skin; she paid no attention to them and placed her cold lips against mine. I could feel her lips opened softly and I could feel her tongue running along the edge of my mouth before she slipped in the warm muscle. Soon I felt her hand holding the back of my head and I could feel myself melting in her strong hold.

We somehow manage to reach the foot of the bed; Marceline stopped our kiss and sat down on her black sheets. She crumpled my shirt in her fist and lifted the pink garment under my breast. I could see her biting her lips as she went in to kiss the V my hips outlined onto my abdomen.

A moaned emerged from deep within me, and I hugged Marci's head with my arms. She pushed my shirt a little higher so I could finally take the hint; I lifted the light pink shirt over my head and let it fall behind me. Marceline reached behind my back and unbuckled the clasps of my lacey intimates.

The hot pink bra feel from my body onto Marci's lap, I tried to pull my arms in front to cover my exposed body. Her hand pushed away my arms and looked up to meet my eyes, "Please don't, you're beautiful."

I blushed while she examined me from the bed.

She proceeded to lift her dark grey muscle shirt and removed her bra along with it. I stood there in awe watching her smooth swift movement. Marceline griped the waistband of my denim pants and pulled me on top of her.

I toppled over a little but Marci caught my fall and lowered me onto her body. My breathing became heavy as she intertwined her legs in between mine. She pressed her thigh against the warmth that nestled between my thighs. I dry humped in approval and I could hear her giggle, "You like that?"

My cheeks were bright red, flustered from the rush she gave me, I nodded and she pressed her thigh against me once more. My head fell back as she grazed her lips against my collarbone, she moved up to kiss my neck but instead she decided to suck hard until I made a low groan that even surprised me.

The rest remained a haze, my head felt like it was going to explode and the warmth in my stomach only intensified with her every touch. We were in bed under the sheets fully exposed, I couldn't stop the blush from leaving my cheeks and Marci's cheek seemed to match my color.

She kissed me passionately on the bed, our positions shifted and before I knew it she was the one hovering over me. Her lips moved from the warmth of my lips down to my shoulders and then she was at my naval. I closed my eyes as I could feel her true intentions.

My hands gripped the thin black sheets and the back of her head. My body tried to wiggle against the pleasure I felt but there was no way I was leaving this. The blood in my body boiled and I felt a rush fill every inch of my body.

I blacked out.

My hazel eyes met her grey eyes again, she was breathing heavily; a smile was plastered on her face. I felt a little embarrassed from my over reaction, I couldn't tell her this was my first time.

"Are you ok?" Still giving me a toothy grin, her fingers ran through my hair and she placed her forehead against mine. Her black hair draped around my head; it shielded away the small amount of light entering Marci's room.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." I looked away trying to hide my mortified facial expression, her cold fingers left my hair and onto my chin; she force my eyes on hers again.

The corner of her mouth lifted, "I love you"

A little gasped left the safety of my mouth. In this storm of intimacy and overwhelmed emotions, she was able to say it, clear as day.

"I love you too" I whispered in return, her eyes near left my sight.

We lay together for another hour before Marceline leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed the cell phone from her jeans. "I have to let the band know I'm okay."

Every second of this morning replayed in my head, I must have looked bewildered because Marceline kept asking if I was okay. I always responded with a 'yeah' and blushed brightly. I could tell she was loving this, seeing me so out of it; I wasn't even able to think straight.

"Everyone's meeting here." Marceline tossed the phone beside her and we both sat up scanning the room for our clothing. "Can you stay a little longer?" She wrapped her body around mine allowing me to lean back on her bare chest like the night before.

"Of course I can, besides we need to talk about your line up and set a dress rehearsal date for the rest of the Student Body." I felt silky fabric rubbing against my ankle; I reached for it and uncovered Marci's little black booty shorts.

"Business stuff, ugh! Why can't you just be my girlfriend and not my manager?" Marceline tossed herself dramatically on the bed and buried her face into the sheets.

"Stop being such a drama queen" I hissed at her playfully, she said something in return but it was muffled but the sheets.

"What?"

"I said I'm not drama queen, I'm a vampire queen." She pushed herself up and leaned against my back. A single cold digit ran against a tender spot on my neck, I shuttered in both pain and pleasure. "That's going to leave a mark." Her voice sounded slightly satisfied.

Suddenly I bolted from the bed and ran to Marci's large mirror by her closet.

"Marci! What the stuff! Oh Glob, how am I supposed to hide this!?" A deep maroon spot on my neck greeted me in the mirror; through the dim light of the room I was able to see tiny bite marks around the perimeter of the hickey.

_She bit me._

"I didn't hurt you did I?" The innocence in her voice made the anger fade, she was genuinely worried.

I shook my head "No, I didn't feel a thing…well no that's a lie, it actually felt good."

Since I was able to admit to the enjoyment I wasn't allowed to be mad at her. But good _Glob,_ this was going to take to go away.

My eyes stayed glued to the mirror as Marceline got up from the bed. I could hear her opening drawers and rummaging through some baskets.

Finally she approached me fully clothed, she wore a black thermal long sleeve and loose fitting jeans, she handed me a folded black tee shirt. As I took the shirt I noticed it was one I saw her wear regularly, it was her favorite band tee. "Sorry, I don't have anything pink, and everything else is dirty."

I pulled the shirt over my head and turned to the mirror; the hickey was still in plain sight. Before I could let out a sigh Marci returned to me with something else, the red hoodie from last night. I gladly accepted the sweater, the hood covered most of Marceline's mark, and the red helped it blend it.

The doorbell rang and I hurried along to get dressed; we descended to the lower level. Marci went towards the door and I stayed put in the living room.

"Marceline!" Finn cried as he hugged the pale girl who was clearly taller then him.

"Next time you decide to go missing please leave us a note." Jake tried his best to sound unaffected by Marci's impulsive behavior but he soon broke. "I'm glad you're okay." He pried Finn off her stomach the boys stepped into the loft with Lady, Bmo and Neptr trailing behind them.

"Let's eat! I feel drained." Her eyes shifted to me but only Jake and Lady caught on to the sexual notion.

The younger boys took the lead and attacked her refrigerator and pantry. Jake talked to Marci a little more before they decided to join in on the moshpit in the kitchen.

Lady made her way over to me; we've gotten a lot closer since the first time I formally met the band. I was able to vent to her this pass week that Marci went missing on us. It was nice having her support, she already knew about Marci's irresponsible behavior, so she knew what she was talking about.

"Nice hickey." She taunted me and she had a grin on her face.

"It's that noticeable?" I hung my head, hoping my shoulders could cover it a little more.

"No, but _I_ can definitely tell. These boys wouldn't notice unless you pointed it out and announced it to them." Her shoulder nudged mine playfully and she giggled. "So I take it everything's okay?"

I nodded, my head still down, I didn't say a word but somehow Lady just _knew_.

"Did you…? YOU DID!" Lady brought her hands to her mouth. I hushed, trying my best to keep her from shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So… how was it?"

My head lifted, I turned to stare at my friend, and then I leaned my head on her shoulder. "Amazing!" I sighed.


	9. First

**Chapter 9:**

**First**

**Marceline's POV**

A little bell jingled as I passed through the glass shop door, I looked over a few of the counters surrounding the shop and found Ash. Bonni trailed behind me looking up at the walls filled with scary life-like masks and decorations. I grabbed a giant rubber spider and nailed Ash right on the back of the neck.

"I'm going to rip your arms off Seth!" He slammed down the box of inventory items and turned to face our direction. His expression went from insane anger to composed indifference; I could see his jaw tighten when he stared at me specifically.

"What now Marci?" Ash knelt back down to his work with his back facing us. I didn't tell Bonni about my past with Ash, but by the way he was treating me you could tell something was up.

"I need your help." My hands trailed off to another giant rubber spider.

Once again we heard the box slam and his body shot up; his back never turned, he clenched his fists then snarled, "Why should I help _you_?"

This wasn't the time or place to be doing this with Ash, but I really needed his help, actually Bonni did. He's worked in the same Halloween Shop for 4 years and he's become really handy with cosmetics. Trying my best to hide the little bit of rage in me I looked away for a split second.

"You still owe me for bailing you out from jail." This time his dark brown eyes stared into mine.

"You're going to cash in? Haha, for what? A skanky Halloween costume?" A lot of people don't understand Ash, mainly because he's a blunt and arrogant jerk, but despite his rude allegations he was a decent guy.

He's seen me around school with Bonnibel and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was spiting pure jealousy.

I shook my head and I pulled Bonni by the hand and brought her next to me. We pushed down the side of the red hood and she willingly showed off the crimson mark I left her. Ash's face went blank before he hid behind the counter once more, a few things spilled on the floor and we could hear him cursing under his breathe.

He emerged with a white washcloth and tossed on the surface of the glass counter in front of Bonnibel.

"There's a bathroom in the back" he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and continued, "Make sure you clean and dry thoroughly. Do you have your own concealer?" She nodded her head. "Good"

Slowly, she walked off to the back room were Ash had pointed to.

"You bit her pretty badly." He pulled up a box filled with cosmetics and accessories. He shuffled through the mess and pulled out a few tiny green and yellow compacts and some brushes.

Out of all the things to be told that was probably the one thing I didn't want to hear. We had no idea how bad it was until we saw it under the light, my bite mark stayed well put for the whole day, the only good thing was it didn't bruise.

"Yeah, I know." My head hung down, I still can't believe I did that to her, but I couldn't tell I was hurting her; she was moaning in pleasure the whole time.

I realized I began to smile as I remembered that weekend with Bonnibel, Ash stared at my facial expression and looked at me puzzled.

"So are you two pretty serious? It seems like it didn't take long for her to give it to you." Ash sat back on a rolling stool and pushed away with a smug look.

"Shut up you ass." I hissed quietly; Bonni walked behind him and he cocked his head to a bench nearby. My eyes stayed on her hazel gaze, I told her Ash knew what he was doing and that she'd be able to wear her dress for Homecoming; at least I stayed hopeful.

He blended the green to lighten up the patch of skin then added the yellow to give it a more realistic flesh tone. He grabbed a sponge from his box and dabbed on Bonnibel's consealer. He did it, I already knew he could, but when Bonni saw it for herself in the mirror she jumped up and hugged Ash so hard he almost fell from his stool.

"Uhh, yeah you can stop that now." He pushed away fixing the deflated platinum blonde mohawk from his face. A little bright pink blush grew under his cheeks but he turned away before we could fully notice.

"I'm sorry, but thank you so much. I owe…" Bonni began.

"No…" he stated rather sharply, "Now Marceline and I are even." He put up his hand while he rudely interrupted her.

I examined the professional work of Ash, he really did a great job, I never appreciated his make-up work, but he's definitely gotten better since we last dated.

We started to walk out the door when Bonni stopped suddenly, "I forgot your sweater in the bathroom."

"I'll meet you in the car, I left the doors unlocked." I continued to the car and allowed the car to warm up before Bonni made her way to me. The look on her face was dazed almost like if she was in shock.

_Did Ash tell her something?_

The fear of Ash ruining my relationship with Bonnibel was not farfetched; he's always been needy and selfish with me. Her voice wasn't loud, but still very audible over the guitar solo that was playing on my stereo.

"I asked Ash how he learned how to blend his colors so well." Her eyes stared off to the road and from the corner of my eye I could see her twiddling her thumbs.

"Oh…" Maybe he didn't tell her anything, he always loved to blab about the work he does at local theater productions. My hands released the tense grip I had on the wheel and I stupidly gave a half smile.

"He said he had to learn because you would always bite him whenever things got hot and heavy." I could feel her eyes burning a hole through me, there was no way I could face her; I knew she was furious by the way her tone changed.

_Please don't ask me about him_, I pleaded in my head. I was going to kill Ash the next time I saw him.

There was a long awkward silence until we parked outside her house. I pulled the keys from the ignition and I could hear that the engine come to a sudden cold stop.

She sighed heavily and finally asked me, "Was I your first?"

"No, Ash even told you himself." I gulped, "I've bit him plenty of times."

_Oh Glob, I'm so sly. _

"I mean, I ugh… I dated him for two years Bonni, of course I've bitten him."

"That's not what I meant." Her voice lowered.

"Are you seriously asking me this right now?" My jaw dropped a little.

_Why does she have to ask me about that?_

Her lips were pressed tightly, and she nodded her head. I wasn't going to lie to her, but she must've assumed it was both our first time.

"With a girl?"

There was no stopping me; I just kept digging myself in a bigger hole. I should receive some kind of award for the worst person to talk to.

"NO MARCI!" She got out of my car and slammed the door behind her, "Obviously, I wasn't." With that she stormed towards her house.

Quickly I stumbled out from my little red car and ran to her; I caught her wrist in my hand but she easily broke free. She turned to face me with tears in her eyes; I had no clue what to do.

"Bonni please listen. No, I'm sorry, you weren't my first." she scoffed in anger and she opened the door.

Before she could enter I pushed the door shut and forced myself in front of her. "Listen to me Bonnibel please!"

Her eyes fell to the floor, I felt helpless, but she was already mad and I couldn't reverse that.

"You can't be mad at the fact that I have a past, and it's just with one other person. It's my fault for never saying anything to you, but please don't be mad. You never told me it was the first time for you."

My emotions were everywhere and there was a sinking pit in my stomach that made me feel like throwing up. There was no way I was going to let this ruin us, "It's just a little lack of communication, but we can work on it."

Her breathing calmed down then her crying stopped, "I'm sorry for being selfish."

I was floored; just like that she got over her anger and was apologizing to me. Regardless I was happy to know she wasn't mad at me, and on the bright side I got the whole past-with-Ash out of the way finally.

"It's a good thing I left that jerk because I got something a million times better right here." My arms wrapped around her waist and she didn't resist the attention. "You're the first person I've ever loved besides my Mom and Simon. So I guess you can say you're my first."

"I'm you're first love?" She looked up at me with her eyes soaked in tears and a smile brightening her face.

"Mmm-hmm."

We kissed on her front porch not caring about her neighbors or the world around us; however the sound of someone clearing their throat made us jump back. A tall husky man approached the entrance of the house.

He look at Bonnibel with a concerned look before he turned his attention to me.

"I believe you are Marceline." He stuck out his hand and I reached over to shake it; he had a strong overwhelming grip. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Mr. Mint but you are more then welcome to call me Pipa."

Bonnibel told me he wasn't her real blood uncle but that he helped raise her while her family was away on these business trips. He looked strangely familiar and I couldn't put my finger on it until Bonni broke the small silence.

"He's the AP Chemistry teacher and Student Body director at school."

"Well don't greet me like royalty. Honestly Bonnibel." He hugged her lightly and made himself at home. We followed along behind him, he was already in Bonni's lab, and we could hear him shouting over to her. "Don't mind me Belle, I'm just going to borrow the slides you prepared on Carbohydrate Chains."

"Belle?" I raised my eyebrow and questioned the cute pet name.

"Yeah, I've been his Belle since I was two and he's my Pipamint, or Pepper for short." I laughed at the adorable connection she shared with her family friend.

Mint came out from the den looking down at a thick folder full of notes. He thumbed through a dozen pages before he slammed it shut. "Can I borrow these too?"

"Yes Peper" She rolled her eyes playfully and proceeded to her kitchen.

"Aww you didn't tell her about my nickname did you?" He looked at me with a stern glare; I don't think he approved of me just yet. Bonni giggled in the background and we both smiled at the sound. "Alright I'll see _you two_ tomorrow for the dress rehearsal." With that he exited the house.

"I don't think he likes me." I sighed as I sat at Bonni's long table in the dinning room; I began to play with the place mats before she could respond to me.

"It's because he saw me crying" She entered the room and wrapped herself behind me and hugged me tight.

"I already got off on the wrong foot with family? Great." I pulled her to my lap and started to nibble on her bottom lip. She managed to get both legs to wrap around me and I could feel her desire. She ran her lips against my neck and began to suck lightly. "Your turn to bite me?" I asked as I pushed her up to the dinning table, her cheeks turned bright red.

She shook her head with her eyes glued to mine, "I can't bite my Vampire Queen." I smiled and we continued our shenanigans in her dining room.

.

**Bonni's POV**

The annoying cries of my buzzer woke me up on Friday morning. It was my fault for telling Marci that I studied until the early morning and always woke up late for school. For that, she bought me an alarm clock and offered me a ride to school every morning.

My doorbell rang 10 times in a row and my heart skipped a beat.

Not caring that I was in my pajamas, I got up and unlocked the deadbolt. Marci was standing outside with the red hoodie she let me borrow the first time we made love.

"You're here early" I yawned a little and she almost came in for a kiss, I shook my head "Morning breath"

She gave me a little pout then she began biting her lip "Nice PJs" Forgetting what I was wearing I looked down. Marci's favorite shirt hung loosely against my body and my light pink bikini underwear were peaking through. "I made it just in time for a morning treat."

I pushed her cheek away as she tried to bury her face in my chest. "Come on Marci you have rehearsal today and we both can't be late for that."

"Fine" She grumbled and tossed herself on my couch, she continued staring at my appearance and I just walked away giggling. "You're a tease." Her voice sounded like a little whine.

We had 30 minutes for me to get dressed, eat breakfast and head out to school. Being time pressed always stressed me out, but I just needed this morning to go over smoothly so I can focus on the rest of the Homecoming preparations.

When we arrived to school we had just enough time to have our 'alone time.' We finished up and walked into an empty study room, except for a makeshift stage that Marci and the band set up yesterday evening. I began to set out some chairs for the Student Body and Marceline began tuning the instruments.

Before we knew it the rest of the band came barging in louder then ever. Finn and Jake managed to give Nep and Bmo a ride here but were under strict orders to take them right back to the Middle School when dress rehearsal was over.

They let loose with a few songs and were ready for my small crowd of collogues.

The first to come in was Pepper, he wore his favorite red and white striped tie, and he took the seat next to me. Next came my Vice, L.S.P., formally nicknamed by Finn because her name was ridiculously long.

"Oh MY Glob! Finn! No one told me you were in a band." She blew him a kiss and modeled off her curves before she sat down; her sparkling eyes baffled Finn and made him smile awkwardly.

Soon the entire Student Body came and settled in, except for our Freshmen President.

"Should we wait for Ember? Mint whispered in my ear, but I knew she wouldn't show up in time and we were time pressed.

I shook my head, "No, she can explain herself later."

With that I introduced the band to my group, I allowed BMO and Neptr to test out their Disc Jockey skills and everyone went nuts. Even though they weren't into the new trend radio music they were able to remix and personalize every song to their liking. The boys were surprised to receive such praise from teenagers many years older then them.

Next came Marci's band; they plug in their equipment and explained the set list for the night. They decided on playing some catchy Ska music, since it was the easiest style to dance to and it was captivating. They also agreed on throwing in a few soft rock songs for the slow dancing in the end.

The band began their set list and I could tell Finn tried his best to play softly indoors; but that quickly died when he heard Jake's guitar wail. It didn't seem to bother anyone, actually everyone seem to love the band too. LSP was clapping and cheering hysterically after every song and I could tell Pepper was enjoying the small show. They ended their summarized set list and everyone stood to their feet and clapped.

Marceline looked around the room; this was her first time performing in front of a group of people, and I could tell the positive feed back made her feel proud of her music.

"Are you sure she's not trouble." Pepper whispered with his eyes piercing Marci's cloudy grey stones.

I couldn't help but smile, "Trust me, she's harmless."

Everyone surrounded the two DJs and the band, asking hundreds of questions and even throwing out requests. Pretty soon they all left the study room, everyone except Marceline, Finn and myself.

Jake took the boys back to school and we had about 20 minutes before the first bell rang.

"Man, that gave me such a rush" Marci sat on a chair and elevated her feet onto another.

"It was insane! I can't wait for next week we are going to have such a great time." Finn shouted, he turned his attention to me and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "You have to be the raddest girlfriend ever. Marci's so lucky."

"Haha, you mean she's lucky to have me" Marceline grinned sheepishly my way and scrunched her nose at me.

Before I could give a witty comeback the door slowly opened and there stood my Freshmen President.

Finn's arm quickly fell off from my shoulder and he was noticeably gawking at the young girl. She was around Finn's age, if not a little older, her hair was a deep burgundy and her eyes were golden. She was a dainty cute girl but from rumors, that eventually were proven true, we found out she was a stable pyromaniac.

"Excuse me guys." I walked over to the young girl who appeared to look a little perplexed.

"What's your excuse this time Em?"

"I thought… I… I don't have an excuse. I'm sorry." She growled between her teeth and her cheeks were red from anger.

"We set a time and date so everyone could be here today, why didn't you speak up?" I tried my best to be stern, but also fair to the 15 year old.

"Look, my dad keeps a strict watch on me, anything before or after school I will never be able to attend." By the tone of her voice I could tell she was still fuming, her head hung down and her short red hair covered most of her eyes.

Sadly I had to ask, "So does that mean you're not going to the dance next Friday?"

"No, I'm not going to the stupid Homecoming dance." Her head was still down; I didn't notice that Finn had walked over to us and was able to hear her last statement.

"If it's because you don't have a date, I'd love to, I mean I'd like to take you myself." His voice trembled a little; I was surprised to see him take such initiative since he was always shy around girls he liked.

Apparently Em didn't like his cute little gesture so she slapped him across the face. Finn stood his ground not really minding the pain he just experience. "Who was that?" He held his hand up to the red streak she left on his pale little cheek.

"That's Ember, she's the Freshmen President. She's a little bit of a hot head, sorry you had to find out this way." My head leaned over to take a better look at his slightly swollen cheek.

"Man, that chick just slapped you across the face. Are you ok?" Marceline finally made her way to the side of the room were we were standing.

"Yeah man, I need to go find her" Finn was mad with puppy love, he almost made a run for it hoping to catch her but Marci was able to pin him down before he made it to the door.

"Nuh huh little dude. We need to get some ice on that, that girl can really hit." She released her seize on Finn and allowed him to brush himself off.

Jake walked into the room with Lady in his arm and his mouth fell open.

"Yo man, who did this to you? I'll murder them." Jake was about to storm out the room without any idea who he was looking for.

This time I stopped the madness and calmed him down, "Hey relax Jake, Finn kind of upset one of my Student Body members and out of frustration she slapped him. I'll be having a talk with her don't worry."

"I have to go find her Jake, she's like, WOW!" Finn grasped Jake's collar and was pleading his brother with his eyes.

"I don't know man. This chick just slapped you across the face." He looked completely unsure but was unable to say no to his baby brother.

"Yeah, she just slapped me across the face with love." The blonde haired boy let got and leaned back unto a wall and let his head hit lightly on the drywall.

"Fine, I'll help you, but you gotta snap out of it bro." They gave each other a little brotherly hug and they grabbed their things.

Lady pulled me off to the side to ask me if she could talk to me during lunch for her Journalism article on Homecoming and I agreed to the small gathering.

The first bell rang. Marci and I walked together to our gym class; Finn and Jake off in the distance and Lady departed once we passed her Economics class. Marceline couldn't stop staring at me; every time I looked over at her she had the same exact look as before.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" I couldn't help but laugh a little as she shrugged and continued staring at me.

"I guess it finally hit me that you are going to be busy until the day of Homecoming. I was just trying to imagine this weekend with you since I'm going to be deprived." She wanted to make a move but we both agreed that any PDA should be kept outside of school; I could see this was killing her.

My teeth bit my lip and I came close up to her ear, gave her lobe a quick nibble before I whispered, "I can't wait until I get to taste you."

Thinking back to it I think it was a little cruel, but I couldn't help myself.

I guess I deserved what was coming to me; she waited until we were the last ones in the hallway of the locker room and she pushed me lightly against the wall.

"You are such a tease" She leaned in for a kiss but before she could actually put her lips on mine she walked away.

_She's so going to get it tonight._

I glared playfully at her and busted out laughing.


	10. Homecoming

**Chapter 10:**

**Homecoming**

**Marci's POV**

"You have to wear a dress! It's Homecoming!" Bonnibel's hazel eyes went from pleading to begging. She's been bugging me for a whole week about not wanting to wear a dress.

"I'm going to be on stage, sweating and rocking out on my axe. I don't see the point in wearing a dress." I kind of like seeing her overreacting for little things like this; I guess I _could _wear a dress, but I'd be letting her win too easily.

"Come on Marci it's just one night." Her voice lowered, "You know, easy access for me." She whispered in my ear and ran her hand up my thigh. Mind you, we were eating lunch with Finn, Jake and Lady and I had just taken a big gulp of my water.

Water came rushing up my nose and I went into a full out cough attack. Finn, of course, found this hilarious and Lady yelled something to Bonni in Korean.

The wonderful sound of her giggling filled my eardrums, "I'm so sorry Marci, really, I am. I didn't mean for that to happen."

After a few minutes passed I finally composed myself and tried to wipe most of my spit water from the table. "You're starting to get brave." I leaned in towards her ear, "Don't worry, we'll fix that tonight." Her cheeks blushed so red that everyone at the table noticed.

After we finished our lunch Bonnibel had to continue her schedule pressed day. We had to subside our afterschool hangouts and before school visits, with the exception of me driving her to school, for a week. I missed her like crazy; this was her first cameo appearance at lunch and it wasn't for very long.

I walked her to the Student Body Room and my heart just didn't want her to go. "What time can you come over today?" I whined like a little kid, she gave me a little smile but no response.

"Come on, you can get ready at my place."

Still no word from the gorgeous girl in her pink blouse and short white skirt.

"I'll wear a dress."

"REALLY!?" Her eyes beamed with happiness, and she couldn't help but hold on to my hands.

"Hahaha, is that all it was going to take to get you over to my house?" I laughed, knowing this wasn't true.

She shook her head before she spoke, "No, but I wanted to surprise you."

I looked at her confused, "Surprise me with what?" She held up two pink sheets, they were early dismissal slips. "You mean?"

"Yeah, forget about 6th and 7th hour I'll be waiting by your car at 1 pm, is that okay?" Her eyes stared into mine; I had to agree with Finn, she is the raddest girlfriend ever.

However I was still confused as to how she was able to get away with approved dismissal slips for the both of us. "Yeah, but how did you manag…" The bell cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

Bonni gave me a quick hug before the hallways flooded with teenagers. "I asked your Dad." She turned into the Student Body Room and the door closed shut behind her. My mind was searching for a reaction but it never processed.

"...My Dad?" I blinked hard a few times then walked away to my 5th hour Band Class in a daze.

The whole time in band class the room was buzzing with conversations: Who's going to Homecoming with whom? What after parties sounded better then the other? And the rest were set on Finn, Jake and myself.

Most questions were about what style of music we chose to play and others were seeking a place into our band.

My attention stayed on the clock and I let Finn and Jake take over the questions; the whole hour passed by so slowly I just wanted to get the hell out of the classroom.

Once I heard the bell ring I made sure I was the first one out of the room and into the parking lot.

Bonni was sitting on the hood of my car with one of her legs bent and her attention was on a composition notebook resting on her thigh; there was no one else in the parking lot as I walked over to her quietly. With the way she was sitting I could see slightly down her shirt and I caught a glimpse under her skirt. I must've stood there with my mouth open like an idiot for a while because Bonni's laughter finally broke me from my trance.

"Are you ready?" My flustered appearance didn't help when I tried to act so calm.

We got to my house in a flash, and I helped Bonni get her things from the back of my car. I couldn't wait to see her in her dress tonight, also to perform but most of all to come back here together.

Everything was settled in my room and Bonni was already sitting on my bed. I removed my red and black striped sweater and lay on my back horizontally; my head was on her lap and one of my arms dangled off the foot side of the bed. She ran her fingers through my hair, I let my eyes roll back and enjoy the relaxation.

"Marci?" She spoke softly.

I moaned in response with my eyes still closed; I was in such a relaxed state from her fingers raking through my long black hair.

There was a small pause before she continued, "Do you think you can bite me again?"

This time I opened my eyes, I don't think I heard her correctly. "You want me to bite you?"

"Well, actually can you just give me another hickey?" She looked down at me; it wasn't a joke she was serious.

"But if I bite that's okay?" She nodded in agreement. Oh Glob, she was really getting me worked up.

Her pink cotton blouse was tossed to the side of my bed and she willingly removed everything else. I soon followed her lead; I was excited, but mainly scared. I couldn't help but wonder if I just couldn't control myself with her.

She put her arms around my neck and brought me down to the bed. I went around to the other side of her neck just to avoid causing her any discomfort. My lips kissed the soon to be victimized area and I ran the tip of my tongue against her sweet smelling skin.

Her entire body shivered and I could see the little strawberry blonde hairs raise on the back of her neck. The low sounds of her moaning drove me insane, I wanted to dive it and just get at her neck, but I needed to learn control. Her hands ran down my back and they caressed the soft skin on my bottom curves.

I sunk in my mouth, gentler then the last time, and I proceeded to suck on the side of her neck. Bonni squirmed a little, trying her best to maintain her composer. Her teeth began biting her bottom lips and she gave out short sharp grunts. I sucked a little harder and her moaning matched the intensity of the attention I was giving her.

Whatever little control I had was lost when Bonnibel trailed her fingers down between my legs. I could hear her moaning, she made these cute little noises and every time I felt I needed to ease up she would whimper a little 'no'. She managed to find my sweet spot and I totally lost it. Eventually I had to force myself off and make sure I didn't over do the hickey. It wasn't as bad as the last time but she was willing to let me continue.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I turned my attention to her supple pink breast; this time I heard a different sounding moan come from her diaphragm.

"Mmm-hmm"

My mouth found its way up to Bonni's soft warm lips, Bonnibel laid flat on her back and I mounted over her. Once again my attention was turned to her tender, already raw, neck. The sucking and kissing was matched by the way she bucked and grinded against me. We managed to find the 'right spot' and couldn't break away, my sucking eventually turned into biting and her little grunts became loud moans.

We simultaneously came and I could feel her go limp beneath me, I could barely hold myself up with my arms, and my body was shaking from the intensity we both experienced. Before I got the courage to look at the damage I had done, Bonnibel pulled me closer against her body.

"I can't be biting you this hard all the time," I finally looked over and saw the molds my teeth made on her skin, "I'm sorry babe."

I take such pleasure in biting her but then I automatically feel guilty once it's over and done with.

"I must be a weirdo for really liking this huh?" She ran her fingers against her new mark and smiled in my direction.

"No, it's really great you enjoy it. I just… I can't control myself with you, it's reckless and dangerous." I put my head down to her shoulder still trying to catch my breath.

"Then we just have to compromise on the amount I can received and how often, is that okay for you?" She began to run her fingers through my hair again and I melted in her hold.

"You're amazing, you know that?" My head left from its comfortable position and my lips kissed her cheek.

After we were able to stand again we decided to call Lady over so she could help Bonni with her make-up since it really wasn't my category. I hopped into a warm shower and came out with solid black tank top and navy blue boy briefs. Eventually I got myself into a red plaid flannel, I left the shirt unbuttoned and I pushed the sleeves up to my elbows. I was supposed to wear denim with the outfit but Ham decided they'd make a good bed, so instead I put on my black skinny jeans with holes.

Bonnibel worked her way down to the lower level with her things. Lady rang the bell right as we both got our clothes on. I opened the door for her and she greeted me in her tongue. She walked over to Bonni, who was pulling out her make-up and her dress.

"MARCELINE!" Was the only word I could make out as Lady yelled; she pushed Bonni's head to the side to revile my new mark.

They argued for a few minutes and all I could understand were Bonni's answers. "No it doesn't hurt… Well of course she does… Ugh, No Lady, you took that the wrong way… It's mutual we both enjoy it. Are you going to help me out or not?"

I slipped away to my room and grabbed my axe bass; I tuned the strings and played a few songs just for warm up. My effort to avoid the girls so they could have their 'girl talk' worked; they settled their difference by the time I made it down the stairs.

I stood there staring at Bonnibel all dolled up; the sides of her sundress moved easily as she turned to me, she gave me a half smile and greeted me. Her dress was mainly white, but all the trims and designs were that nice shade of pink the clouds fill up with when the sun comes up.

"Wow you look great" I moved over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, "You look great too Lady" I stated while my eyes were locked on Bonni's as we stood in the middle of the floor holding each other.

Lady said something under her breath and Bonnibel gave her a little glare. I chose to ignore it this time, there was no use in fighting with Lady, and she meant a lot to Jake.

Once Hambo was fed we made our way to Finn and Jake's place. We arrived just in time to find everyone still packing away their instruments.

Bmo was trying to move the mixing board single handedly and I bolted to him after I parked my car.

"Need a hand macho man?" B's face was slightly annoyed but happily gave in to the extra hand.

"Yeah, thanks." He brushed off the dust from his turquoise dress shirt and removed the wrinkles from his white tie.

"You okay?" I could tell by his facial expression that he wasn't too sure about going to a high school dance.

"We're going to a dance, with older people. What am I supposed to do when you guys get on stage to play? I won't know anyone there." He leaned against his amplifiers and placed his favorite aqua headphones around his neck.

"Well you have me," Bonni came from behind me and leaned against the speakers with B, "Maybe you can dance a few songs with me?" Her hands folded in front of her lap and B tried to fight back the blush.

"Yeah, that'd be pretty awesome." He looked away smiling.

We could hear Neptr yelling at Bmo from inside the house; Bmo was about to sprint toward the house but halted before he left our sight, "Oh, by the way, you two look great."

Off he went into the tree house.

"You're too nice you know that?" I walked over to Bonni and gave her a quick peck on the lips; she shrugged and I couldn't hold back my smile.

"Come on everyone, let's rock the heck out of this dumb Homecoming!" I couldn't have asked for a better night, everyone cheered and packed everything into my car and Jake's truck.

Bonni put on our first Neptr produced CD and off we went to the Royal Court Country Club where in an hour 3,000 students will be dancing to our music.

.

**Bonni's POV**

The sun began to set when we reached the Royal Courts. Marci and the band unloaded their things into the main hall and I wandered off to the nearby gardens to watch the sky blend the beautiful tones of orange and pink.

A nearby stone bench greeted me happily and I took a seat facing the hills were Marci and I occasionally disappeared into. I couldn't let the stress build up in me, this was the night I spent months preparing for and so much has happened since then.

My mind trailed off to Marceline, the beautiful girl I found hiding under the bleachers in gym class, and all the things we've already experienced. I smiled at the thought of her, but soon the smile subsided, I began to think about the rest of the year.

This was the first school dance of the year, I've gotten away with not going to the mandatory football games and getting a month off of AP Chemistry, but pretty soon the work is going to pile up. Meetings, study groups, projects, and mandatory occasions; after sorting things through my head I became overwhelmed.

My heart fought my sense of reason, trying to find a schedule to match my needs and wants.

"But I _need_ Marci" I swore under my breath and felt the urge to cry, until I heard feet shuffling in the grass.

"There you are, why aren't you inside? …Hey are you okay?" Marceline stood in front of me, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes looked worried.

"I'm just trying to relieve stress. How's everything indoors?" I pushed myself from the cold stone bench and walked beside my lover.

"Well why don't you see for yourself?" She held open one of the double doors and push back a velvet red curtain.

I gasped in pure awe; the room was glowing with twinkling lights that ran across the ceiling. Tables were covered in navy blue and white sheets and the flower centerpieces brought it all together. Half the room was a dance floor, and all along the walls food was being set in place.

"Bonni look." Marci's hand pulled me lightly in front of an elevated stage; there were lights, fog machines, the amplifiers were set up and the instruments were in place. "Isn't it awesome? A _real_ stage." I saw her eyes light up and smile ran across her face; this was her night just as much as it was mine.

I took comfort in seeing her happiness, her smile instantly made me replicate her emotion.

Once again she tugged at my hand and lead me to a table, against the food wall, that I didn't authorize. It was a table, filled with candy, jars and jars of all sorts of sweets. On the side there were scoops and bags for everyone's enjoyment, I wasn't too sure how to react, it was amazing but how did this go under my nose?

"I hope you don't mind, I asked Pepper if I could give a small donation." Marceline's hand began twirling a lock of her black hair and her eyes fixated on the floor. There were no words I could say, just a hug, she gladly accepted my gesture and gave me my favorite half smile. "I have to go, we have sound check in 5 minutes and if I'm not there Neptr's going to blow a fuse."

Just like that, she jogged to the giant stage and hoisted herself up to meet with the boys.

_No more band practice at Finn and Jake's place._

_Marceline won't be able to come over to my house every day._

I could feel my heart sink a little. This was not the time or place to be thinking so negatively, but seeing how sad Marci got when she couldn't see me this whole week was unbearable. Mr. Mint came over to my direction and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"You alright there Bonnibel?" He was wearing a royal blue tux and his favorite red and white striped tie, of course. I shook my head and he directed me to a back room. "What's going on Bon-bon?"

Without warning my tears came pouring out, I fell into his arms sobbing like I did when I was 5 years old. "Now Bonnibel, pull yourself together. Cheer up, you can tell me all about it."

"I don't know what to do Pepper" I pulled away from him and my hands covered my face. "I have a wonderful relationship with Marceline, but I can't keep it up. Once tonight's over it's back to my crazy hectic schedule, not to mention finals and other bigger school dances." I looked up to meet his apathetic facial expression, he was thinking of the best parental advice to give me, but dating guidance never was his strongest field.

"I suppose if Marceline cares for you as much and you say she does," he paused and put his finger on his chin, "Then a little distance won't hurt her. You aren't going to push off school just to see her right?" His apprehension was well noted in his voice.

"Of course not, I have duties and responsibilities before I…" Where could I draw the line between my passion and my love? "I love her Pepper" My head hung down and I let go of the heavy sigh that was making my chest feel tight.

"Maybe you two should take a break." My eyes looked at him once again and he gave me a little shrug. "It's worth a shot isn't it? Not one gets hurt, no one gets disappointed."

"I don't know…" I began, but was shortly cut off.

"Look Bonnibel," Mint placed both his hands on my shoulders and looked directly in my hazel eyes, "Ultimately, this is up to _you_. All I can do is hope that I gave you good advice and that you can make a smart adult decision." He released his grip and wrapped his arms around me; Pepper pulled away and this time his voice became a little more stern, "If you can't agree to a decision that'll benefit the two of you then please make sure it'll benefit at least you."

I tried my best to wipe the tears from my eyes and once we were done with our little talk we made our way back into the dance hall. The doors were opened and I could see that a coupled hundred students had already arrived.

From afar I spotted Ember wearing a beautiful red-orange dress, her hair was pinned back and she was accompanied by an adult; just like her father and I agreed on. Beside her was Finn, who was trying to juggle his drumsticks to impress his new crush.

Within 5 minutes the dance hall was full on student; soon after I saw Bmo walk across the stage to his mixing board, Neptr dimmed the ballroom lights and switched on the stage lights. The young adolescent looked startled by the immense crowd, he let his aqua headphone hug one ear as he put a long black hose in his mouth. When he talked through it his voice was synthesized to sound like a little boy robot, "Who wants to play video games?" The silence was broken and immediately the sound of video game music filled the air.

A loud cheer roared from the crowd and everyone began to dance. There was a cold touch that grazed my arm and I knew it was Marci without even looking.

She stood beside me holding a beverage in each hand and stayed motionless with her eyes at the stage. "Can I tell you something?"

I leaned my head on her should with my eyes glued onto Bmo, "Of course you can."

She handed me the drink and she walked over to the nearest table; I tagged along behind her examining the ballroom as much as I could from my position and then sat on the chair beside her.

"I'm really nervous," Marceline's eyes went from her cup to the floor.

"You're nervous?" I questioned her statement and she nodded before her eyes meet mine. My hand quickly found hers under the table her mood noticeably changed; her fingers fiddled in my hold and she gave a low chuckle.

"Well not anymore. So I wanted to ask before, how did you and Finn end up asking Ember to Homecoming?"

"He wanted to do something with fire." I rolled my eyes, remembering that day.

"What a psycho, is he trying to get himself killed?" She laughed playfully and let her hold on me loosen a little; she finally took a drink from her cup.

I shrugged and shook my head, "Honestly, I was a bit skeptical, but you know Finn and his cute puppy dog face he gives." My eyes widen trying to match Finn's infamous look; Marci took one look at me and almost spat up her drink.

"You have to stop doing that, my poor nose." She scrunched and rubbed her nasal cavity. I forgot we were out in public and I leaned in to kiss her little nose. We both looked around trying to make sure we remained undetected; the coast was clear.

"Anyways, I was able to sneak into Pepper's lab and pull out a few Bunsen burners. I gave them each a small portion of calcium chloride, potassium chloride, copper chloride, and boric acid to throw in the fire."

Poor Marceline, I think I stepped off to "Nerd Land" because her pretty face looked so baffled. I translated the foreign lanuage to her, "I gave them metallic salts to make makeshift fireworks."

"Wow, does that really work?" She seemed interested but then her eyes looked troubled, "Weren't you scared of being around an open flame with _her_?"

"Yes is does work, it's a little trick Pepper taught me when I was 7." This time I took a drink from my cup.

"To be honest, I was terrified but my concern quickly subsided when I saw her manipulating the flame; she's actually very skilled and cautious. Finn, on the other hand, almost burned his face off." We laughed and continued our little talk before Marceline got her cue to go on stage. "Good luck Babe." I squeezed her hand before I let her go.

It was amazing seeing her on stage, she was completely in her element and you could tell by the energy she gave off. I've never seen such a large crowd of people engaging with a musical performance, I guess I have, but watching the town's orchestra was nothing compared to this.

People were dancing, bobbing their heads and holding their hands up in the air. There was cheering after every song and it felt like I was at a rock concert; well my idea of what I thought a rock concert would look like.

Bmo shouted for me and I could see a few girls surrounded him, he was paralyzed and most likely a little bewildered from the fame he was receiving.

I walked over to save him and he gratefully thanked me. "Thanks a lot. So how'd I do?"

"You were amazing B!" His eyes lit up at my honest comment, and he gave me an awkward side hug, "Ready to dance?"

He nodded and off we went to the dance floor. Marci spotted us in the giant sea of teenagers and gave us a small wave.

The night continued and by the last hour I was exhausted. The entire band was on stage performing their self-made music so I decided to take a stroll around the perimeter of the grand hall.

My attention turned to the back of the room where a tall man with jet-black hair and a neatly pressed suit was leaning against the wall. I quickly approached him; his head was lowered and I could see that his eyes were closed.

"Are you enjoying your evening Mr. Abadeer?" He allowed one coal black eye to open and gave me the same half smile Marci gives me.

"Very much so," He detached himself from the wall and allowed himself to stand straight, "She plays beautifully." His eyes were in the direction of Marceline, and he gave out a slight sigh.

"She's very passionate about her music" I saw Mr. Abadeer nodded in agreement from the corner of my eye while we stood in the back staring at Marci who was giving a very proud bass solo.

"Yes. Just like her mother."

There was very little talk about Marci's mother, so hearing this was a little unexpected. I'm pretty sure Marceline would have loved to hear that.

"Thank you for the invitation Bonnibel, I should be on my way. You can never tell what will set her off you know" He took my hand gently and gave a small bow; he turned around and disappeared from the room.


	11. Passive Aggressive

**Chapter 11:**

**Passive Aggressive**

**Marci's POV**

"You got this next song Jake?" I switch off the distortion from my amplifier and signaled for Neptr to turn up my treble.

"Yeah Marci, just give me a second." Jake pulled the cord from his pedal board and motion for the brass players to join us on stage.

_What's going on?_

"Wait, what song are we playing?" Seeing our temporary band members come perform with us really threw me off. "I thought we were done playing the Ska lineup."

"I wanted to play 'The One' so we need the guys here." Jake pushed the bright yellow guitar over his shoulder and let it hang behind him. Everyone got in their positions, except for me and Finn; who still had no idea our song changed.

"I don't know Jay. I understand that you want to make your point across but maybe this isn't the time to do that."

Right now I was worried, this particular song Jake wanted to play was meant for his brother.

My eyes locked on to Finn's emerald colored eyes. He gave me a goofy little face and held up his fist. Finn had no idea what was coming to him, maybe his ignorance will benefit him today; I could only hope.

The saxophone and trumpet players bleated out a melody; that was my cue. There was no turning back now, we were in performing in front of 3,000 people and the night was almost over.

"I know you wanna love her for the rest of your life

But man, this woman her intentions ain't right

Tell me brothers am I right?

That woman is trouble you've got to wake up"

_At least the crowd was enjoying the song. _

"I know, I know

That every time I speak she rolls her eyes and shakes her head,

Says baby no one will know you said

I know, I know

That I should let you live and love yourself

But it is hard when your laughter is now dead"

Jake turned his attention to his little brother who seemed so content playing along to his brother's singing.

"So if you think your days are dark you better wait

and if you think your smile has not faded away

So if you're sick of crying then you better wait,wait

Wait, wait, wait

No need to hurry now"

When Jake finally turned away I could see in Finn's eyes that he got his brother's implication.

A wave of blood flushed over blondie's face and his once happy persona died down to give a disturbing glare. Jake continued the song with his heart on his sleeve; the sea of students below us loved the passive aggressive message that Jake was sending. The song wasn't a danceable but it was nice to listen to.

Finn slammed his drumsticks on the wooden snare drum and it made an unsettling crash sound. By the time I turned to look at him he was already off the stage and storming over to an exit. Soon after I saw Jake pushing through a small group of kids trying to follow his brother into the garden.

I stood my ground looking over at Manfried and Cinnamon; they were frozen in their positions with the instruments still at their mouths. They were as surprised as I was.

We still had 3 more songs to play and I needed my drummer and guitarist here with me. I searched for Bonni and Bmo in the crowd and waved the young red head to the stage.

There was a small chatter emerging from the students; I guess they figured out something was wrong.

B switched on his mixing board and saved the day by playing some of his older mixes. I quickly jumped off the giant platform from backstage where Bonni was waiting for me.

"Yikes" I made a face, not really trying to divert the obvious question I knew she was about to ask me.

"What happened?" Her hazel eyes were bewildered, probably just like mine.

"Brother problems?" I shrugged; the best thing to do right now was let them try and figure this thing out on their own. Besides I didn't want Bonnibel stressing over their issues too, she already had so much on her plate. "It's okay Bonni, they can work it out, just give them time to talk it through."

"This was a total disaster, Pepper's already asking me what happened. What do I say?" She was getting really worked up, her cheeks were pink and looked like she was about to puke.

"Hey calm down, it's okay. Look, Bmo can definitely take over the rest of the songs." I put my arms around her trying to make the situation better, except it didn't.

"Stop it Marceline, I told you we can't be showing off any public display of affection at school." Bonnibel shoved my arms away and I stood there taking her rage.

"Yeah, well, we aren't at school" I grumbled under my breath.

In an instant Bonni's pretty pink face went red in anger, "Why do you have to be such a smart ass Marci?" She turned and walked away from me.

_UGH!_

There was no hiding my anger now; Jake shouldn't have done that to Finn and I definitely didn't deserve to hear that from Bonni. My teeth were clenched so hard together that I felt my jaw line getting sore. I used both hands to pushed Axel over my shoulder and he hung lazily against my tense body.

I moved from the backstage area to the exit leading out to the garden. Before I pushed the door open I felt a burning touch on my forearm. There was an unexpected tender grip on my arm; I turned to face the person trying to catch my attention.

It was definitely someone I wasn't expecting; Ember.

_Geez, what am I supposed to tell her?_

"Is everything okay with Finn?" Em's eyes looked right into mine. They were a sandy yellow color, almost gold, and they were a little breathtaking to say the least. I was already in a pissed off mood because of Bonni so my tone was rather harsh when I answered back.

"Uhh… yeah. It's under control don't worry about it." I broke from her stare and clutch; I left her disorientated with my insensitive talking, I heard her call me a jerk, and then I proceeded outside.

First I had to fix whatever little stupid problem Jake had with this girl and then I needed to find Bonnibel. My mind was racing with a million thoughts, the night was going so perfect, we just needed 15 more minuets and then it would have been all over.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted by another grasp on my shoulders, except this time it was overpowering and ruthless. I kept myself from attacking my challenger; there was no telling if it was Bonnibel or maybe even Ember again.

"You still babysitting your loser friends Mar-Mar?" A menacing voice asked. There was no mistaking whose voice it belong to.

_Why can't everyone just leave me alone?_

"Shut up Ash, I don't need this right now." I continued my search for Finn and Jake but Ash didn't let me get very far before he forced himself in front of me. "What the hell are you doing here anyway? You hate dances."

"You're right, that's something we share in common Marceline. Except, I didn't come to dance, I came to crash this stupid school function." He began to laugh obnoxiously and I butted into his delight.

"Well you should just leave" I walked around him and turned a corner; I could see Finn and Jake sitting on the ledge of a fountain and off in the distance there were other couples taking their photos by a rose bush.

Once again he caught up to my pace and began to walk backward just so he could continue looking at me. "Trust me, I'm leaving. Since your stupid band can't even finish a set you guys pretty much crashed your own party."

My fist met the smug smile he had on his face; Ash tripped over himself and crashed on the wet grass with his back. He stood up like it didn't faze him; his hand wiped away a small trail of blood from the side of his mouth and he reached for my bass strap.

It all happened so suddenly, one second he pulled my bass over my head and the next I saw my bass shatter to pieces against the cobble stone walkway.

_This isn't real; it's just a bad dream. Wake up Marceline. WAKE UP._

My eyes blinked hard as they stared at the pile of strings and broken mahogany wood. I fell to my knees beside my dear friend.

There was no way I was breathing, I felt dead inside; it was all so sudden. I imagined this was the feeling someone got after getting shot from point blank. The feeling of sadness soon faded as I realized this wasn't a dream at all.

I sprung to my feet and began wailing at Ash's face. He managed to get a few jabs at my head but I was able to react faster then that dumb piece of shit.

We gave a few more swings and after I landed the third direct hit to his face he fell to the floor. I took advantage and I climbed over him pinning the inner part of his elbows with my knees; I didn't stop striking him until I could feel several people pulling me away from the douchbag's reach.

There was so much blood on the cobblestone near us I couldn't tell whose it was until I caught a glimpse of Ash's broken nose.

"Marceline!" I heard Bonni's voice. My fury halted, I looked up to see the large crowd we drew towards us.

Finn and Jake were holding my arms back and a few other people were checking on Ash, but like I suspected, he sat up and tried to play off the pain with laughter. Bonnibel stood next to Pepper with her hands clutched into fists

Pepper spoke up first, "Everyone, clear the area immediately." He stared at me with a harsh hatred and demanded for Ash and I to follow him, "You two come with me."

Before I could even think about getting up I moved my gaze to my broken bass guitar.

"Hey don't worry about that, we'll take it in." Jake talked in a lower tone, "You should probably go."

I couldn't react, I just stood up and followed the husky male in the royal blue suit; Bonnibel didn't even turn to look at me as I trailed behind them into the ball room.

Pepper grabbed two large bags of ice and wrapped them in towels. He handed us the ice packs and directed Ash to wash off the dirt and dried blood from his face. That was a bad move on his part, but I kept my mouth shut.

I was alone in the back room with Bonni and Mr. Mint the calmness was soon disturbed by Mint's roaring voice.

"Care to explain yourself?" Pepper asked rather high and mighty.

"He broke my bass" I lowered my head like a humiliated child; there were too many emotions going through me I didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

"So you broke his nose? Do you even understand the severity of this Marceline? The two of you are considered adults in the eyes of society. He can very well press charges against you, do you understand?" Good glob he sounded just like my Dad. I wasn't worried; Ash would never show his face at a police station.

"It's fine, Ash wouldn't do that. Besides, he's probably already gone."

"It is _not_ fineMarceline!" Bonni shouted at me, her body was trembling and she still refused to look directly at me.

"What do you mean he's already gone?" Pepper pushed our small argument to the side and walked towards the bathroom were Ash had disappeared.

"You obviously never crossed paths with Ash at school. What I mean is he is probably halfway home by now. He never stays around after a fight, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't show up for school either." The cold ice pack felt good against my head, Ash actually got one good hit in.

I tried my best to make Bonni notice I was looking at her but again she ignored me.

"Well that makes the two of you" Pepper stood at the doorframe with his eyes scanning the hallway. "You're suspended." He exited the room and left me alone with Bonnibel.

_Suspended? This night keeps getting better and better._

I fell into a metal chair with the ice pack secured around the backside of my skull. My mind was trying to process everything that just happened until she finally spoke to me.

"How could you do this Marceline?" my eyes wandered to her direction; she was standing in the same spot but this time her hazel eyes pierced my grey stones.

"Bonni, the jerk broke my guitar, what was I supposed to do?"

She shook her head like she was disappointed in me.

"Look I'm sorr…"

Bonni cut me off, "You're always sorry but that doesn't change your impulsive behavior Marci."

"Yeah? Well maybe if you didn't overreact I wouldn't have to apologize so much."

There was a long silence in the room.

Finally Bonni broke the stillness, "Pepper was right, we do need a break. I can barely juggle school responsibilities and my studies. I can't deal with you right now."

Woh… that sounded way too familiar.

I was put into my old memory of when I first met Simon.

"_Maybe if you did a better job of taking care of her she would talk. Ever think of that Hunson?" Simon sat at one end of my dinning table while my Dad sat across from him; he kept his attention glued to his laptop._

_My little hands gripped the wooden bars from the stairwell as I watch them arguing about me. I hid above the kitchen where the darkness help conceal my presence._

_My Dad never looked up to give Simon his full attention, but he still answered, "Look I can't deal with her right now okay? There's so much going on, I have work and I'm still getting over the death of…"_

"_And you don't think she is? She's a little girl; she's confused and lost in this horrible world. All you care about is work when all she needs is you." Simon slammed his fist against the table and the startling sound made me jump in fright._

"_So can I assume you'll help me, right? You already know I'm not going to stop my work." Hunson's closed the laptop and tucked it into a briefcase._

"_You heartless fool. I will never help you, but I will definitely help Marceline." Si folded his arms across his chest and watched as my Dad vanished into the night._

If I had to describe my feelings in one word right now it would have to be anger. I couldn't believe she just said that to me, after everything that just happened.

"Then don't deal with me, I'm out of here."

"Marci!" I left before she could say anything else, I didn't even bother looking back.

There was no concern regarding my sudden disappearance. I didn't care about the broken bass in the garden, the friends that started this whole mess in the first place but most of all _her_.

I went into my red car and sparked the engine to life, I left the country club without a destination; my mind was clouded with so much bitterness I wasn't aware of were exactly I was driving to.

Upon arrival I noticed I was parked in front of my old house and by now my emotions got the better of me. It felt like I was unable to gain control of my own actions or emotions. I managed to sneak pass the gate guard and entered the property through a broken iron bar on the far end.

My hand slammed the metal hammer on the front door and waited for the person I swore I hated the most.

When he finally opened the door I was mildly shocked to find him in an off white muscle shirt and boxers; a drastic difference compared to his usual formal attire. "Marceline?"

I allowed myself to fall into his arms; I wrapped my arms fiercely behind his neck and buried my face into his thin shirt. We never gave each other sappy gestures or even verbal affection for that matter, but I needed this, I had no idea why.

"Just don't ask."

He returned the awkward hug and my mind finally settled down. My Dad leaned his head in a little and quickly pulled away.

"Marceline, you're burning up. Get inside I'll call the medic."

My brain felt like it was too big for my skull, there was a lot of pressure and my vision was slightly blurry. I felt off.

He led me to my old room where a small twin bed still pressed against the corner of the room. The walls were grey and in the center of my room was my old baby grand piano. I was placed into bed; it took me a while to realize my Dad took off my shoes and helped tuck in me.

I had just enough strength to roll over to my side and face the wall. I placed my hand on the red 'M' I sketched over ten years ago. My eyes finally got heavy as one last unexpected touch was felt on my head; a kiss from my Dad.

_This is all a dream, just wake up, please._

The last thing I could remember was my Dad sitting on the edge of my bed waiting for me to drift off to sleep.

Suddenly everything went black, I could see my broke bass guitar on the floor in front of me. It looked far worse then I could remember it. Something moving in front of my field of vision caught my attention; it was Bonnibel and she was walking away from me. I wanted to call for her but I realized I was mute, not even the sad cry hiding in my chest came out for her. When I tried to move my body felt like lead I felt traped and I soon began to panic; my breathing stopped and I fell to the floor beside my guitar.

White florescent lights stung my eyes as I opened them into reality. My mind was trying to collect my thoughts together and suddenly I could hear a female voice talking, "She's in and out of her conscious state and her fever has not stabilized. If she has to stay over night to be monitored, if her fever hits 40.5 Celsius it can cause severe brain damage."

"Very well then." It was my Dad.

"B-bonni?"

The female voice gasped a little, "She's awake."

_What the fuck is going on?_

.

**Bonni's POV**

_Hunson Abadeer_

_Abadeer Law Firm_

_3942 Grand Avenue_

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_ I, Hunson Abadeer, am writing to request a Student Transfer Notice for my daughter, Marceline Abadeer. As of today, she will no longer being attending this High School. Please fax over her records and current transcript to my law office, I will be forwarding them directly to her new school. _

_Thank you in advance,_

_Hunson Abadeer_

LSP hid the stolen letter into her binder. "Oh my glob Bonni, I have to get this back before anyone notices. Are you okay?"

I could feel a hole forming in the center of my stomach and my blood pressure spike down drastically.

My bookbag fell to the floor as I ran over to the Journalism room; I pushed open the door pretty dramatically, which startled the entire class.

"I need to borrow Lady for the rest of the class."

"Sure, it everything okay?" The middle-aged man asked rather confused.

"Yes, we just need her to edit the Homecoming article she wrote."

Lady followed me out to the hall; she knew I was full of it.

"What's going on? Why does it look like you just saw a ghost?" Her hands went to my face; I slumped down in the verge of tears.

"I need to ask you for a favor." This knot in my throat was dry and I was able to swallow pass it. "I need a rise to Marceline's place."

"Right now?" Lady's hand pulled away but I continued to let my head hang in the position were she left it.

My heavy head gave a lazy nod; Lady practically dragged me to her car and we escaped the school unnoticed. I let my head lean against the passenger window; I imagined the cold feeling of the glass was Marci's touch.

This couldn't be real, I assumed the letter LSP found during her Office Assistant hour was a letter requesting her homework during her suspension or maybe even a meeting to reduce the sentence but I wasn't prepared to read that.

Lady parked across the street since the parking garage was secured for residents only. I ran out without even looking for oncoming traffic and dashed pass the front desk. The elevator was taking too long so I hurried up the stairwell to the 5th floor were Marceline's loft was located.

My lungs felt like there were going to collapse by the time I got to her front door. I knocked a few times and allowed myself to lean against the wall so I could catch my breath.

Nothing.

I kept knocking until I found myself pounding on the large door. My fear was no longer fiction; she was gone.

_You promised you'd never leave me like this._

I knelt on the floor facing the door of her empty loft. There was no way of knowing where she was; Finn and Jake already tried calling her cell phone but she ignored every call. After a few days passed by we found out that it was disconnected.

My bottom lip began to tremble. I released a depressing sigh before my hands covered my face and permitted the silently sob fill the emptiness I felt.


	12. Broken

**Chapter 12:**

**Broken**

**Marci's POV**

There was a constant beeping coming from a monitor beside my hospital bed. I followed the green line as it spiked then dipped and eventually return to it's resting state. Occasionally I would hear a click that made a machine turn on; it measurements of my oxygen levels would later pop onto the screen.

This was the first time I woke up alone; my Dad took a couple of days off to make sure I was okay. It was hard to admit but he was really worried about me and cared about my safety.

There was a large sigh trapped in my chest; I released it and saw the heart monitor take a lower dip. The door in my room slowly opened and a lady in her late 20's wearing bright green scrubs walked into the room; she has been my night nurse these last 43 hours since I came in.

"How are you feeling today Ms. Abadeer?" She walked over to my monitor and grabbed the long sheet of paper that the machine was spitting out. My nurse looked over the results before she wrote a few things in my binder that was hanging on the wall next to me.

"Never felt better. Can I go home now?" I was starting to sound a little annoying, even to myself. Ever since I fully woke up yesterday I've asked her this question every time she entered my room.

"I don't see why not. Your fever's completely gone and you already know your MRI came back negative." She placed the binder back in its original placed and then turned to me.

The MRI. My hand went up to touch the missing part of my hair. It was shaved off and the stubby little hairs tickled my fingers as they ran through it. I instantly remembered the talk with my doctor and how she explained to my Dad and I what exactly happen the night of Homecoming.

To make things short and simple, when Ash hit my head it gave me a minor concussion, but they couldn't figure out why my body ran up to 40 degrees Celsius. (My Dad later converted the foreign measurement to me; it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit) My doctor was afraid that I had some internal bleeding in my brain, and since I was unresponsive for a good part of the time, they set me up for surgery. By the time my MRI scan came back negative the Operating Room surgeons had already shaved off the left side of my long black hair.

My nurse's voice brought me back from my thoughts, "You should probably wait for your father. The doctor will not permit you to drive for at least another day."

I nodded my head and continued to lay on my back in the stiff bed. She smiled before asking, "Is there anything I can get you before I go Ms. Abadeer?"

"Call me Marceline, and no, thank you."

"It was a pleasure meeting you Marceline. I'll make sure to give your father a call. Then I'll find the doctor and see what I can do about getting your release forms." The door closed completely behind her and again I was left alone in an almost quiet room; the sounds of beeping and clicks were already driving me insane.

I tried to push myself up with my elbows but a sharp shooting pain on my left arm prevented my motion; my arms gave out under me and I grimaced in pain.

_Oh yeah I forgot about that thing._

I extended my arm over my head to view the large need going straight into my blue vein. My eyes trailed up the small hose to view the IV bag that hung over my head; it was still full.

_I guess they must've changed it when I was sleeping._

All I could think about was leaving; having all this extra time to myself made me remember the horrible events of that Friday night. I reached over to the small roll away table beside my bed and grabbed my phone. There were 15 missed calls and about a dozen messages, most of them were from Finn and Jake and a few were from Bonni. A small pain lingered in my heart.

It felt like everything was broken; my relationship, my bass and my heart. There was still so much anger in me that prevented me from feeling the sadness I knew I was supposed to be feeling. I turned my phone off and threw it violently back onto the table.

I heard a light knock before the door opened.

My Dad entered the room holding a styrofoam container with a fork sitting on it's top. "Oh… good morn… well technically it's good evening. Anyways, are you hungry?"

"YES!"

The hospital food was terrible. At this point I would have eaten anything besides the bland unseasoned food here.

"I hope you still like these." He handed me the container, "I can take you to go get something if you don't want it"

I opened the lid and found myself looking at a pile of strawberries and whipped cream. This was surprising to say the least; the last time I remember eating this was with both my parents on Sunday mornings. My eyes began to feel dry; the feeling of to crying was there, except I couldn't let out the tears.

Come to think of it I haven't cried since everything blew over.

"No, it's perfect. Thanks." I accepted the heartfelt gift and dug into an old forgotten favorite.

He smiled. "I'll be right back, your nurse told me I had to fill out some forms." My Dad left me to eat my food in peace.

Once the release process was completed my doctor came to discharge me from the many machines attached to my body. The first thing I wanted to do was bend my left arm; it felt sore from the large IV needle that was forcefully shoved into it.

I change out of the stiff hospital gown and into the same clothes I wore on Homecoming. My red plain shirt had a few spots of dried blood and my black pants were torn at the knees. If anything I just looked more badass, but this was in no way intentional.

We walked over to a valet worker who immediately disappeared to fetch my Dad's car. The young man came back in a black luxurious car, walked out and handed my Dad his keys. The valet driver came to the passenger side and opened the door for me. I got in with my folder full of medical papers and set it on my lap so I could strap on my seatbelt.

My Dad pulled away from the hospital and we entered the highway within a few minuets.

He reached over to turn on the radio and put on a station I knew existed but tried my hardest to avoid. "What are you kids into these days?" An overplayed pop song came on and I noticed the appalled look on his face.

"Yeah Dad steer clear of that stuff." My finger pushed the scan button on the car's stereo to find the only AM station that played classical music.

"What happen to Blues and Jazz? That stuff was _always_ great. Instead people want to listen to vulgar words with sounds in the background" Hunson shook his head in disapproval.

This was kind of nice, I never had a true conversation with my Dad, and it was funny to see that he was just as stubborn about his music as I was.

"To each his own." I shrugged and let a half smile creep away from me.

He agreed. "I suppose your right."

There was a small silence between us until my Dad finally spoke up again. "Are you ready to talk?"

I stayed quiet. There was still a pit in my stomach and the sensation of throwing up never left.

"I wanted to ask you a few things. If that's okay with you of course." He kept his eyes on the road while I looked at him trying to figure out his objective.

"Sure" My head finally turned away to look at the blurred scenery that remained unnoticed on the side of the highway. Whatever he was about to ask I promised I wouldn't talk about Bonni.

"Why were you in a fight?" His voice was calm and he tried to glance at me through his peripherals before he landed his eyes on the road again. The tone he used was very alluring; it was like he was trying to talk to me as a friend rather then a daughter.

I hesitated at first, but the man deserved to know, he had to take care of me because of this fight, "Ash broke my bass." My voice cracked a little, "So I kicked the shit out of him."

Maybe it was the way I announced the situation, I'm not too sure, but my Dad was laughing hysterically after I told him this. He wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye and calmed his laughter to a giggle.

"You definitely get your attitude from me." His smile was from ear to ear and his coal black eyes seemed lighter then usual. He coughed a few times before he could fully compose himself, "I'm assuming you got in trouble. How bad was it?"

"Uhh… yeah I did. I'm suspended."

"Well there goes your free ride to law school." The black car entered the gated driveway to his house and we both got out.

"Is that all you wanted to ask me?" Something inside me told me it wasn't over.

He shook his head, "No, go into my office, I need to return a message before we get started."

_Oh glob it's going to be the same law school lecture again._

He held open one of the wooden double doors for me and I walked up the stairs to his home office. The walls were a maroon color and there was a whole wall that was converted into a bookshelf. I noticed the large leather throne at his desk; my body fell into it gently and I watched as the rays from the sunset set the room on fire.

Not literately.

Personally I've never wanted to wander in here when I was a child. Even the day Bonni and I came for Hambo, I was uncertain and paid little attention to my surroundings. Mainly because this is were my Dad worked; I knew most of the cases he handled were taboo and he won almost every trail he faced.

My eyes scanned my Dad's workstation. In the far right corner there were two gunmetal picture frames; in one of them there was a black and white photo of my mom sitting on an amplifier. The other was a picture of me, I must've been only a few months old, and I was gnawing at my little fist into a drooly mess.

"Those are my favorite photos of you two." My Dad was standing right behind me admiring the photos with me. His sudden presence startled me and I stood up to give him back his throne. "No, stay there, I just need to get something from this drawer."

He pulled out a booklet and sat in a smaller leather chair in front of his desk facing me. "I have an offer for you."

"Dad…"

"Please hear me out before you go off and say no." My Dad looked me in the eye and actually gave me a facial expression.

So I nodded in agreement.

"I saw your performance the night of your Homecoming dance. I have to say, you have a wonderful talent; a wonderful talent you and your mother share." His voice fluctuated a little, "When I saw you playing you reminded me so much of her, and the first night I met her at a small show she played."

"Mom played in a band?" This was a conversation I never thought I'd ever have with my Dad. Not even _I_ talked about my mom. Normally I would have gotten mad for him sneaking around in my business, but this talk was different.

He nodded, "I now realize that if she were still here she would have forced me to put you into some music school or even made me pay for private lessons. So I wanted to show you this." The booklet slid across his table as he pushed it to my direction. "There's a music instructor teaching there, he taught your mother when she was a little girl and she always admired him."

"Are you suggesting I go here?" I looked down at the booklet, it was well bounded and in color print. This must have been a high-end school, not like the money mattered to my Dad. My thumb opened the first page and I read the name of the school.

"This is a boarding school! No way, I'm not going to _live _at school."

His eyes met mine and he gave me a half smile, similar to the infamous one I gave, "You won't be living or attending that school Marceline."

_Wait, I'm lost here._

He noted the puzzled look on my face and continued, "You'll only be getting lessons from this teacher, nothing else. As for school, you'll be going to a nearby community college for your GED. The course only takes about two weeks and it's the equivalent of a high school diploma."

I couldn't help myself but I had to ask, "What's the catch?" This was all too good to be true; I put the book back down on his wooden desk and waited for an answer.

"_If, _and only if, this doesn't work out for you I want you to go to Law School. Trust me I understand your love for music, but I just want you to have some kind of back up plan. Oh and also, you'll also be taking along someone with you; my friend's daughter will be attending this school, she just needs a ride there." Hunson reclined into the chair and it responded with a low squeak.

"You're not lying to me are you?…" I let my head hang down slightly. It was a fear I've always had whenever I was with my Dad. I worried that everything was a lie.

"Marceline, I have never lied to you, and I don't plan on starting." He got up from the chair and smoothed out his slacks. "Would you like time to think about it?"

I shook my head, "I want to leave as soon as I can." I mimicked him and stood up with the booklet in hand.

"Very well, I have to make a few phone calls. Would you mind staying around for the next couple of days? I don't want you being by yourself, you were just released an hour ago." The concerned tone in his voice was genuine.

"Okay, I can't drive today anyway" I left the office while he started to make his round of calls. "Thanks Dad."

He smiled at me and a voice came up on his speakerphone; he answered the receiver and began to talk to who ever was on that other line. That was my cue to leave.

It was hard to wrap my head around what just happened. For once I had a conversation with my dad and there was no yelling or teasing on either ends. Also, he offered this to me; my gaze fell to the booklet in my hands. All I could think about was escaping from the world around me and this was the perfect opportunity.

There was no way I wanted to go back to school. How was I supposed to practice with the band with no bass?

Would I be able to control myself if I saw Ash around school?

But more importantly, how was I supposed to act when I see Bonni in Gym?

I wandered into my room with Bonni in my thoughts; when I walked pass the mirror I caught the first glimpse of my new hair cut.

_My hair!_

My facial expression was already pretty pathetic when I looked at myself in the mirror. I moved my head in different angles to see if I could get use to the new do.

I sighed, "Well at least it's even." I turned away from myself and pulled out the piano bench behind me and ran my finger lightly over my baby grand.

The ivory white keys clicked softly as the hammers tapped gently on the piano strings. My fingers danced across the panel of black keys then they stopped to strike several inharmonic notes. The disturbing sound echoed in my old room and I pushed away from the black piano.

_Everything I want to play was depressing, all because of fucking Bonnibel. Just get out of my head already. _

I walked over to my bed and let my heavy eyes close. My mind soon followed along and shut off all my thoughts of her.

When I woke up it was around 2 in the afternoon the next day. My Dad opened my door and I saw him peak his head through. "Oh good you're awake. How do you feel? You've been asleep for a very long time."

My hand rubbed my hair as I sat up on the bed; I kept forgetting that the side was shaved off, "Yeah, I had a little headache so I slept it off."

"I'm no doctor but that can't be good." Hunson stepped inside and I noticed he was holding a pile of clothes.

He realized I was looking at his hands, "I hope you don't mind, I went over to your loft and got you some clothes."

"What about Ham?"

"Yes that dreaded cat is here too. What is with that foul food he enjoys? It most definitely is not a 'Gourmet Chicken Dinner for aging cats'." My Dad read the label and out of nowhere Hambo ran through his legs and jumped into my bed next to me.

I couldn't help but laugh because the smell _was_ terrible. "Try giving him the 'Tender Beef Feast Classic'."

"No thank you," he shook his head. "Here get ready, we'll be having company in an hour or so."

"You're friend?" I asked as I picked out an outfit for the day.

My dad was leaving the room, "Yes _and_ his daughter, so please don't be kind to the young girl."

The door closed behind him.

I made my way into the bathroom and took a much needed shower. The lukewarm water pounded the back of my head and ran down my entire backside. As pitiful as it sounds, I imagined that water's warmth was Bonni's touch.

As hard as I tried I couldn't get her out of my head. Or even my heart. The burning pain in my chest grew warmer and found myself with my hands covering my face.

_She doesn't want you, so get over it._

Once I was done with my shower I dried myself off and pulled on my red and black striped sweater, my torn jeans and my red high tops. I made my way downstairs and got myself something to eat before our guests arrived. Half way through my meal I could hear talking coming from the living room.

_I guess they're here._

My Dad came into the kitchen as I was putting my dish away. He was about to tell me something but the sound of someone yelling threw us off.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T WANT TO GO!"

Both of our eyes widen and we looked at each other.

After the sudden uproar was over and done with he tried again, "Could you do me a favor and keep the Fire Chief's daughter some company?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Please Marceline? There are forms he needs to fill out and we still have to have a conference call with the Dean." He placed his hand on my shoulder and his eyes seemed to beg me.

"Alright fine"

Hunson lead the way to the west wing living room and I followed behind him like a duckling. Except this little duckling had a rad haircut and her hands in dug deep into her pockets.

When we entered the living room I instantly recognized the two faces waiting for our arrival. The first belonged to the Fire Chief, his short cropped hair and his formal fire suit reminded me of the day I first saw him at my Dad's law office. The other face belonged to a young burgundy haired girl. Her golden eyes shot an evil glare at me before she turned her attention away from all of us.

"Em stop being so stubborn. I'll be right back." The Fire Chief walked over to my Dad, "Are you ready?"

"Yes I am. This is my daughter Marceline." My Dad cocked his head toward him and he made sure I caught the gesture.

The tall man looked at me and stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you Marceline."

"Same here" I shook his hand and with that they both disappeared to the upper level.

Ember sat down on my Dad's black leather sofa with her interest elsewhere. I wasn't in the mood to talk either but I had no idea if she was doing this because she wanted attention or she just wanted to steer away from it.

Either way I took my chances and walked over to her. She was Finn's girl so I had to be nice to her; I also remembered I was kind of rude to her on Homecoming.

"Hey"

Her body stayed stiff. No response.

"So why are you going to this new school?"

She spoke softly but with such disgust in her voice, "Because _he's_ making me."

I decided to sit down beside her; she was wearing a light brown coat with an orange scarf around her neck, khaki pants and orange flats. Once again the room was silent.

"How's Finn doing?" Maybe asking about Finn would make her feel better.

"I don't know, I'm not allowed to see him anymore." Ember turned her head to me and I saw that she was crying. "That's why my Dad's making my leave."

"He found out about him?" There was a small rush of sadness in my gut; I knew Finn really wanted something to happen with her.

We talked for a while before our Dad's came back. Apparently Finn asked Em out during Homecoming and the adult that her Dad sent to babysit her ratted them out. It was surprising to hear how she was always being monitor by her Dad or someone he hired. In a sense I felt bad for her.

Our parents entered the room and right away my Dad handed me a bundle of papers and a pair of keys.

"What this?" I asked him a little bit confused.

"Keys to Simon's/your Mom's old house. It's by the school and the papers have the address and any other information you two will need. You guys can leave anytime you want, they'll be expecting your arrival."

"Really that's it?" I looked over at Ember who was still furious about having to be forced out of this town.

"I want to leave tonight." She grumbled under her breath and pushed pass her Dad. She opened the front door and she slammed it hard.

We stood in the living room a little bewildered from her dramatic exit.

My Dad faced the Fire Chief "Marci can go over and pick her up whenever she's ready. Is that okay with you Marceline?"

_Geez that girl had some crazy attitude. _

"Uhh yeah, sure." I left the living room and before I fully exited the room I heard them talking again.

"I don't know Hunson, can we trust her?"

"Relax Blaze, she's never given me a reason to not trust her."

Was he sticking up for me? That was a nice surprise.

I smiled and continued to my room.

.

**Ember's POV**

There was a loud honk coming for the outside of my window. I lifted the white wooden blinds and saw a small red car out in the front.

By now all the rage I had in me from this afternoon faded. All I wanted to do now was leave. I figured this was going to be the only freedom I got from my Dad, so I wanted to take full advantage.

The doorbell rang around 10 times before I went over to open the door.

When the door pulled back I found Marceline standing there with a stunned look on her face and both her hands shoved into her pockets, "Sorry, bad habit."

She shrugged her skinny shoulders and gave me a half-ass smile.

"It's fine. I just need to get my things."

I started to walk away and noticed she wasn't following behind me. Once again I faced the door and saw that she was still standing outside the entrance.

"Geez are you a vampire? You can come in you know."

She gave a weak chuckle. I guess she like my little reference.

This time when I walked back to my room she stayed nearby; I began to reach for my suitcase but was stopped in my tracks.

Marceline put her hand over mine and shook her head, " I got this, go tell your old man we are leaving. You don't want him flipping out on us if we leave unannounced."

I didn't want her carrying everything out to her car but she insisted on doing so. "Yeah okay."

By the time I told my Dad we were leaving Marceline managed to get everything in the car. He insisted on coming out to say good-bye, except all he really did was give her a good talking to.

"She's your responsibility, if anything happens to her I will personally see to it that your father knows. Do you understand?" My Dad's voice was a little raspy but booming nonetheless.

She nodded and she held the passenger door open. It took me some time to realize that she was holding it for me. A small sigh left my chest as I went to give my Dad his farewell hug.

_I'm not going to miss this hellhole._

I slid into the passenger seat; Marceline closed the door and sat next to me after I settled in. She still had the same sad look on her face from this afternoon and I couldn't help but wonder what was getting under her skin.

The engine came to life and she turned on the heater in her car. My frozen limbs thanked her and thawed within time.

When it was finally warm enough I took the orange wool scarf off my neck.

Since winter was around the corner the weather was already getting chilly. If there was anything in this world I hated more then being under my Dad's watch it would have to be going through winter.

We pulled away from the house and seeing my Dad's figure disappear in the distance gave me such a relief. This time I let go of a larger sigh, sunk into the seat and looked at the car clock; it was 8:15 PM.

"How long is the drive?" My hands rubbed together and she turned the heating higher.

She took off her sweater; she sat in her seat with a plain black shirt and the same torn jeans. "It's a four hour drive up the mountains."

"The mountains?" There was a tiny groan that followed soon after.

Her eyebrow lifted, "Not a big fan of mountains?"

"Not during this time of year."

"Wait, are you telling me you don't like the snow?" Her once melancholy voice washed away with shock.

I shook my head even though she couldn't see, "No, it's the worse. It's cold _and _wet."

"What's wrong with getting cold and a little wet?" Her mood lightened, not drastically, but just enough for me to notice.

"I hate both sensations. I don't like snow and I don't like going swimming."

Her head turned directly to me, she gave no consideration to the traffic around her, "WHAT?"

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

She glanced back at the street and quickly merged over to the highway that we almost missed. We stayed silent for a little bit until we entered the one-way only trail leading to our destination.

"I take it you like snow." This was more of a statement then question; it was safe to assume since she had made a big deal out of it.

"Yeah, I love cold weather. Warm weather gets me groggy and I could do without sweating." She turned her head to me again; once again there was very little happiness in her grey eyes.

_Maybe a game will make her feel better._

"Want to play 20 questions? We do have 4 hours to kill." My shoulders shrugged.

I could tell she thought about it before answering, "Alright, but you have to go first."

"What's your favorite color? On the count of three, ready? 1…2…3… Orange"/ **"Red"**

Marceline squinted her eyes a little and made a serious face, "Okay, I got one. Favorite hobby. 1…2…3… playing music."/ **"Dancing"**

The more we played the more I could tell it was distracting her from whatever was making her so glum. She even laughed a couple of times and it was nice to have the mood lighten.

I already knew I could be a handful with my short temper but combining that with someone that was obviously depressed was not a good mix. Marceline pushed in a CD filled with slow paced depressing rock music and we continued our game.

Two hours flew by faster then anticipated; it was her turn and we were at number 18, "Are you willing to try new things? 1…2…3… Yeah" /**"Yes"**

Her eyes locked onto mine and she gave me the first smile of the night, "Good" S

he served off the road and took a hidden dirt path instead. The sudden shift in terrain made the car jump and I was a little skeptical about what was going on.

"Where are we going?" I looked around, we were suddenly surrounded by the woods; the highway was nowhere in sight.

"This is the first night without being hounded by your Dad right?" She parked the car by a small cliff and turned it off.

I nodded, "Right"

The engine gave a small groan and Marceline opened her door; the cold wind came rushing in. I reached for my scarf, something told me we were heading outside.

Sure enough she came to my side of the car and opened the door for me; she motioned for me to come out. "Are you going to tell me where we're going or not?" I didn't mean to sound so harsh but I despise whenever people keep things from me.

Her hands came up in defense, "Sorry. We're going to climb this cliff, there's something I want to show you."

My eyes followed the edge of the cliff; it had to been at least 4 yards above the ground. I wanted to object but by the time I turned back to look at her she was already mounting over a boulder.

Her eyes grey paralyzed me; they were so luminous in the night, "You said you were willing to try new things" She reached over for my hand and she stared at me with her stone colored eyes.

Eventually I gave in.

There were three incidents where I almost plummeted to my death, but Marceline was right there beside me to break my fall or grab on to my wrist. By the fourth time this happened she made me venture out in front of her; she wasn't aware, but this angered me to my core, it made me feel like a helpless child while she monitored from behind.

The last yard to the top was the hardest, there weren't any rocks to help us climb and the top sloped above us. She cupped her hands together, told me to step in and she hoisted me up to the top in one fluid movement. After I caught my balance, she was able to pulled herself up, get to her feet and dust the small amount of dirt off her shirt.

"Look" Her finger pointed to the east were the giant silver full moon hid shyly behind a thick forest.

I was in awe, being outside alone in the forest was exhilarating, the vast open area made me feel small and insignificant. The sound of the wild was a beautiful mixture of frogs, crickets and the occasional call from an owl. My eyes landed back to the pale girl, with half her hair shaved off; it was a look only she could pull off and she did it well.

Her attention soon left the moon's sight and went straight for my golden eyes, "Are you ready?"

"Ready? Ready for what?"

She walked in front me and turned me 360 degrees so my back was pushed against her front side. Her hands were casually placed on my shoulders and she got closer to me. "Scream. Every ounce of anger and rage you have in you, just let it all out."

_What?_

"NO! I'm not going to randomly scream. I'm not crazy."

"Who said you were? I'm not judging." Marceline scoffed in a playful manner and then slid her hands away so she could stand beside me. "Come on, let it out."

I could feel the blood rush to my face in anger, "No Marceline, I'm not going to scream. It's stupid and childi…"

She cut me off, "And you're too grown up to be doing stupid childish things? You think you can handle living on your own because you know better then your Dad? Trust me, I totally get it, you're just scared." She crossed her arms across her chest and a sarcastic smile was permanently put on her face.

Seeing her smile like that only pissed me off more. In my head I was fuming only because she was right and I was wrong. I clenched my hands into tight fists and I dropped my head. My short burgundy hair barely covered my eyes away from her mesmerizing gaze.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You don't know anything about me or my life so back off!" The sound of my voice echoed further away as I realized I just yelled.

She began to chuckle. Again my rage built up.

"What are _you_ laughing at?"

"Just a little bit louder and I would have called that a scream." I looked up to see that the corner of her mouth perked up a little and she gave away a gentle chuckled; she was obviously taunting me.

I stood there taking the small amount of humiliation that flooded over me.

"I was 15 when I left my house for the first time. So believe me, I get that you're scared; you're also too stubborn to own up to it because you want to prove you can survive on your own. You haven't gotten a taste of this cruel lonely world, but when you do you won't know what to do with your lonesome self. So scream, no one's here to criticize you." Her body was completely facing me.

What I thought was heartless bullying ended up being her honest advice, I was surprised to hear that she could relate to some of my emotions.

"I'll scream with you, if that makes you feel better. I have some stuff I've been meaning to get off my chest anyways." She turned away and walked right to a different ledge off the cliff; an inch of her toes were suspended in the air and she cocked her head like she was silently calling me over.

I released the tight grip in my hand and instantly felt relief from the strong pleasure placed on my frozen joints.

Everything she called me out on was true; no one ever talked to me like that before. There was no censorship, absolutely no filter of any kind; this is something I craved for a long time, being talked to like an adult.

My feet dragged a half step behind me next to the tall pale girl; her eyes stared into the dark abyss of the night and she let out a choppy sigh. I looked down to see that the fall was almost 3 times the size then the side of the cliff we arrived on.

The distance frightened me and the cold air was beginning to give my nose a dry burn feeling "On the count of 3?"

Marceline's head fell back and stared into the silver lighting of the moon. "Sure" In the corner of her eye I could see a small bead of water start to form.

"1…2…3…" I inhaled deeply and screamed my lungs out. It cut through the mild sounds of nature and echoed deep into the nearby mountains.

Marceline's scream was a lot lower and full of pain while mine was monotonous and full of wrath.

Suddenly a harmonic howl cut us mid-scream. We stopped our loud ruckus.

Soon after 12 other unique howls joined in one by one; they were all within a 2 second span apart from each other. The mighty yowl of the pack of beasts sang to the distant moon that had a sliver of its corner hiding behind the trees.

I shifted closer to Marceline; I was in a trance, never have I heard such raw power from a dangerous animal. Needless to say, I was terrified and was not prepared to admit to it.

"AHHHOOOOOOOOOO!" She cried over to the pack of wolves that sounded too far away to pose as a true threat.

Something inside me finally told me to let loose and join my new companion in the beautiful howl. Our cries were cross with those of the beasts and we didn't stop until we were completely breathless.

Marceline was panting but she had a beaming smile on her face. This was what it looked like to see her happy.

I didn't quiet understand her but my curiosity soon got the better of me, "Can I ask you a question?"

She looked at me with the smile still on her face, "Okay" her inhale was shaky, "but that's number 19. It's your last one, better make it good"

"Why are you so sad Marceline? You've been bumming me out."

Her face went blank, she wanted to reply but instead gave me a little whimper. She hung her head down low and plopped down onto the rock hard dirt beneath us. It took some time before I heard anything from her.

"I lost two very important things: My bass and my girl." I could hear her inhaling and exhaling deeply.

_Her girl?_

My chin and nose tucked into my scarf and I took the open seat next to her. I got my answer, but I didn't know what to say to make her feel better.

"Can I ask you my last question now?" Hearing her voice while I was in my thoughts caught me off guard.

"…Yeah"

"Are you really a pyromaniac?" She lifted her head but looked off to the sound of the crying wolves; they continued to sing but eventually weakened within time.

I couldn't help but laugh at her question.

Marceline turned her attention to me with one of her eyebrows lifted. There laughter made my ribs hurt and I was able to calm myself before I answered.

I cleared my throat, "No, my Dad just thinks I am. I don't compulsively light things ablaze. Don't get me wrong, I love fire, but I would never use it to harm anything or anyone."

Her body got closer to mine and she pulled up her knees to her chest; her chin was set on top. "Good, you were intimidating me for a while there."

_Me? If anyone was intimidating it was definitely her. She always talked in a cool manner even when she was all down in the dumps or being rude; like at the dance. Her smiles were heartwarming but evilly chilling at the same time._

This was probably the worse way to meet a new friend; that's if she even wanted to be my friend. My heart yearned for an answer but my body was to busy shivering like crazy in the cold breeze.

"Come on, let's go. We have an hour drive ahead of us." She stood up and embraced the icy wind with just a black t-shirt and jeans that's had too many holes in them.

_This girl's nuts. It's so globdamn cold._

We descended from the magnificent tranquil piece of nirvana and got into her car for the last part of our journey.

When we turned into the street where Marceline's house was supposed to be she parked the car and just stared straight to the wooden cabin that was surrounded by a half inch of snow. The closest neighbor was about a third of a mile away; this was a drastic difference from the city life we were used to.

It was already 2 in the morning and we both agreed that we were too tired to take down our things. We lethargically entered the house and went into the first bedroom we found.

She offered the bed to me as she made herself a nest of pillows and blankets. I removed my bulky clothing and covered up under the sheets. Marceline waited patiently until I was comfortable before she turned off the bedroom light.

The full moons glow flooded through the small bedroom window and lightly lit the room.

I could hear her wrestling with the sheets before all was calm and still.

"Marceline?"

She replied, "Mmm" but I couldn't tell if she was sleeping or if she was still awake.

"What's your biggest fear?"

I waited for an answer, but I was left alone waiting. My body rolled to its side with my back facing her.

"On the count of three?" Marceline's voice didn't have a hint of sleepiness in it, but I did notice a small crack when she spoke.

"Yeah, 1…2…3… being left alone" / **"Abandonment"**

_There was pain in my heart; I knew the hurt I feared the most was the same one she dreaded._

There was silence in the room again.

I felt a large amount of weigh being pressed down on the side of the bed. Two large cold arms wrap around me and a freezing nose pressed against my back. I turned to my opposite side so I could face her.

She tucked me under her chin and I could hear the sniffing that was choking her dried throat. There was a very distressing sigh that left her chest and a quiet sob that broke my heart.


	13. Perfect Distraction

**Chapter 13:**

**A Perfect Distraction**

**Marceline's POV:**

I sat alone on the bright blue couch inside of Simon's old wood cabin; from where I was sitting you could see the thin coat of snowfall from the window.

My arms were wrapped around the body of a black acoustic guitar I found in one of the rooms. I pulled it to my lap expecting to feel the weight of my heavy bass on my knee but my expectations were soon washed away; it felt so foreign in my arms I just went ahead and set it down beside me on the floor.

Today was the first day of winter break for Ember. She made it very clear she didn't want me to forget the date. I promised we could hang out since she hated her roommate and refused to go back to the city with her Dad.

Ever since we arrived in this new town I could tell she was enjoying the freedom she desired so badly. Em and I only hung out twice in the last 2 months and since I was lonely I didn't mind her company.

I remembered the warm smell of cinnamon filling my nose as I cried myself to sleep with her in my arms. Her body felt like she was running a temperature; my ice cold hands would accidently land on her triceps and she would jump up from the cold shock. When we woke up we were right where we had left each other; it had been a while since I slept that peacefully.

My head fell to the side onto a couch cushion; I rolled over on my back and swung my legs on top of the armrest. I let my shins dangle from the side as I wrapped both hands behind my head.

Having Ember around definitely helped with my depression; being able to cry with her that first night was such a relief on my stressed out emotions. She didn't ask me any more questions or judge me in anyway; she just laid there and let me be. You know despite her hot temper she was actually kind and warm-hearted; when I met her I felt like her personality was going to clash with mine really easily.

Em was definitely a misunderstood soul and I trust me I know a thing or two about going though that. I was able to handle her constant defensive barrier and she could put up with my hurt but reckless pride.

_She should be here by now._

I pulled the gunmetal watch that was tied loosely around my wrist up to my face and read the time.

6 PM, it was already pitch black outside. Having longer nights was always my favorite part about the winter. I decided to sit back up and enjoy the tranquil lonely night outdoors.

I grabbed a black wool coat that was hanging on a coat rack by the door and made my way outside. My arms slipped into the armholes as I stared up above me. The sky was crystal clear; the stars and crescent moon illuminated the snow and I felt like I was in a washed out black and white photograph. The cold air rushed into my lungs and they expanded away the hidden pain that lingered in my heart.

My hand dipped into a hidden pocket in the inner lining of my coat. I felt the rectangular box and stubby chunk of plastic I was looking for and pulled them out as I studied the untouched snow in the front yard.

The spicy smell of the smoky tobacco cleared my sinuses and made my mouth water. There was a little part of my mind that was telling me it wasn't worth the trouble but my obnoxious heart craved the fake feeling of temporary happiness. I put the round tip of the brown filter to my lips and I cuffed my hand to protect the light spark coming from the lighter.

There was a small flicker of a flame and before I could bring it up to my guilty lips I heard her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I looked over and saw Ember bundled up in many layers of clothing. Her facial expression was apprehensive but she still gave me that great smile I've learned to miss.

"Oh? And why not?" I asked sarcastically with the stick of sorrow hanging from my mouth.

"You already have too many bad habits, if you add one more you'll break the world record." She laughed at her own joke and reached over for the stick that was still resting between my lips.

The cigarette went flying to the snow and it absorbed a small amount of water from the wet white powder.

"You're too straight edge, just let me have some fun." My tongue slithered out my mouth as I advanced to her.

She reached over to my other hand and grabbed the lighter out of my grasp, "You want to have fun?" Her thumb pressed down; the sparks transformed the gas into a beautiful orange flame and she danced her fingers near the top.

A small chuckle escaped me, "Not if you're in charge of that thing."

She tossed the back to my chest and I caught it before it slid down to the wet floor. Ember walked inside and held the door until I finally moved my lazy butt indoors.

An icy draft got trapped in the house as I pulled the door shut behind me. I watched her peel off her outwear as I sat myself on the couch; she was stripped down to a thin orange jacket and a white v-neck. She had a red-orange headband that complimented the color of her hair, dark blue jeans and some waterproof brown snow boots.

Ember leaned in and wrapped her arms around my neck for a quick hug. She pulled away before I could even process the embrace in my brain. "How was your test?"

"Aced it, duh" I reached my arms over the far side of the armrest and grabbed a large yellow envelope. The thick document paper glided out as I showed off my freshly printed GED.

Em hopped onto the couch next to me and grabbed the certificate out of my hands. "Wow, you finally have your big girl pants now don't you?"

She teased me with a face she made and I touched her warm neck with my cold fingers.

"GAH! Don't do that" Her hands tried rubbing the tainted cold skin back to it original warmth.

"Stop being so sarcastic, that's my job." My thumb pointed into my chest while I had a giant smile on my face.

Em looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"Were you playing something?" Ember noticed the black guitar nearby and pulled it up on her lap. The body was facing up as she ran her fingers down the strings; they gave out a low rasping screech.

"I was trying to but it was starting to bring me down." I reached into my pant pocket and pulled out a pick so she could test out the instrument.

She shook her head at me with her eyes closed.

"Can you play _me_ something?" Both of her bright golden eyes opened and begged my cold cruel stones.

"It's going to depress the heck out of you. All I've been able to play are songs that make you want to kill yourself." I let go of a sigh and let my head lean onto her burning head.

"I just can't stop thinking about Bonni." I whispered softly to myself.

Once the words left the safety behind my teeth I realized that this information was supposed to stay in my head.

"Bonni? Like PB, that Bonni?" When I looked down at her all I could see were her golden eyes locked on me; her mouth was left wide open.

"PB? I've never heard that nickname before."

"Finn was the mastermind behind that one. I'm guessing the 'P' stands for President." She shrugged her shoulders, "But who knows."

_Well I guess I don't have to lie about it since we aren't together anymore._

My heavy head gave a weak nod and she continued to stare at me. There was a different expression on her face this time.

"…What?" I wondered.

"I'm sorry that she's the one that broke your heart. I liked her, she was actually pretty cool; she even trusted me enough to play with fire." Her little smile faded away and I could see she felt a little bad for me.

I didn't take the pity lightly.

My stomach began to churn in pain and I wanted to divert the conversation to something else, "Yeah there's no way I would've been anywhere near that lab if I knew you had a Bunsen burner near you."

I gave out a pathetic chuckle but Ember didn't buy it.

She handed me my acoustic and urge for me to play. The way she communicated to me without words made a strong impact on me. If someone had verbally asked me to play again I would have said no but when she did this it made more sense.

"You can't tell me to stop being so stubborn and to let my feelings consume me when you don't even want to do something you love just because it makes you feel too sad. You should really practice what you preach. " She slid the neck of the guitar under my hands and she nudged me with her shoulder.

_Damn, she's good._

I reached over to take the bulky stringed instrument from her lap and it hugged against my body before I let out a sigh.

"Alright but don't complain that it's too depressing."

Em sunk into the couch and I felt a small presence of stage fright flood over me. I could feel a cold chill run down my body; it numbed my sense of fear and touch.

The tiny pick strummed out the beginning melody before I let myself sing. I wanted to close my eyes and loose myself in the music but seeing Em's face match the emotions I played made my blood rush. Her reactions were all I needed to see; she could understand the pain when I sang. To me, that's a musician's greatest accomplishment.

My guitar sang one last chord before I placed my hand over the steel strings to mute the long droning ring.

"Geez, and I'm _not _allowed to complain?" Her eyes rolled away before she leaned her head on my shoulder.

I shook my head, "I don't want to hear a word about it."

She pushed my shoulder playfully and came in for another hug. This time I was able to hug her back.

"Are you always running a fever?" I pulled away; the heat from her body was starting to make me feel hot.

"Are you complaining that I'm too hot? You're the one that's too cold." Em grabbed my hands and the extreme difference in body temperature made us pull back instantly.

We couldn't hold back the laughter. It felt like we couldn't touch each other directly without one of us feeling a little shock from our contrasting temperatures.

"You ready to teach me how to start a fire?"

"Marceline, I don't want to go out in the snow. I hate it." She gave out a groan and let her head fall back on the top of the sofa.

"Dude, you can call me Marci you know." I sprang up to me feet and waited for her to follow me, "Please? You get to show me how to create fire." My arms were pulled up to my chest and I tried my best to show her my excitement.

The bribe must have work because she eventually stood up and quietly put on the many layers she peeled off earlier. Her scarf was tucked into her coat and she pulled her hood over her dark red hair.

"I have no idea why I'm doing this." Ember grumbled with the orange scarf covering her mouth.

"Because you love how mysterious I am. Now come on!" I pulled on her gloved hands and leaned towards the door like a child dying to go outside and play.

She stopped before I opened the door, "At least put on a coat."

"Ugh, okay mom."

I could see this made her mad; she was already red at the cheeks and her eyebrows clashed together.

"Sorry," I pulled on the black coat from earlier, "I'm just excited."

We walked out and Ember hesitated before she stepped into the thin sheet of snow that hid away the ground. My old all-terrain boots made defined footprints as I marched away embracing the icy cold crunch under me.

I continued into the backyard where the forest began and Em stayed a few steps behind hating every second of our shenanigans.

There was a pile of firewood and branches huddled together on the side of a wooden shed.

"Hey! I found some wood over here." I waved her over and she looked down at the collection of lumber in disappointment.

"These aren't going to work." Her head shook lightly, "they won't ignite if they're all wet."

"But…" I looked around at the wintery wonderland, "everything's wet!" My attention was turned back to my side where Em was standing, except she was gone.

A few yards away I found her reaching for a branch that was well over her head. I walked over to her and lowered the branch so it wasn't so far away.

"I could've gotten that myself you know." She grabbed the stick in her gloved hands and easily pushed back the wet bark.

"Yeah, maybe with some stilts." My hand let go of the branch and the recoil made the sitting snow on the tree plummet over our heads.

"YOU JERK!" Ember yelled and dropped the stick to grab a handful of snow underneath her. I was about to make my getaway but got caught by a hidden root blanketed by the snow.

I fell on my side and Ember laughed at my failed escape.

She threw a couple of snowballs at me before I could push myself up to my feet and fight back. The small snow fight wore us out. Our visible clouds of breath filled the air around us as we tried to compose ourselves. I couldn't help but laugh at the two of us; that was the most fun I had in a while.

"Haha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen." I brushed off the powdery ice crystals off my hair and gave her a smile hoping she would forgive me.

"Yeah, sure." She dusted the snow off her coat and moved the orange scarf back up over her nose.

I was able to creep behind her while she bent over to wipe off the snow from her jeans. When she got up I decided to speak into her ear quietly. "Don't you trust me?"

She jumped up in fright and turned to face me; once again her cheeks were filled with her boiling blood as she pulled down the scarf, "I trust you way too much."

_Woah._

We stood only inches apart; she was looking at me with slight frustration and I looked back with a laid-back smirk.

Just like before she walked over to a tree and tried to reach for some braches. This time she asked for help, "Mind giving me a hand?

I pulled down the branch and made sure we were out of the way when I let go. She collected a small bundle of branches in her hand and she began measuring the snow's depth with the tip of her boots.

Ember handed me the small pile, "Rub off the bark, I'll get started on the hole." She sat on the back of her heels and push away the dirt stained ice.

Once the hole and sticks were ready I tossed in the braches and she adjusted them so they didn't touch the wet floor. Em pulled out what looked like two keys tethered together with a think black string. She motioned for me to squat next to her; so I did.

"This is called flint steel, it will spark in any temperature." Her hands gave up the 3 inch steel rod and flat strip of metal. I examined the interesting tool before I handed it back. "The by the shed have already soaked up too much moister, not just from the snow but also from the wet forest floor. That's why we can't use them. However the one's up on the trees have fresh bark that can protect them through a blizzard."

She rubbed the scrap of metal against the charcoal colored rod and it left behind a giant trail of sparks. The wood remained unlit. Ember stood up to feel the direction of the wind and once she caught it she squatted back down with her back facing the mild gust.

The metal rubbed together once more and this time the wood took to the fire.

I have never seen anything like this, it was really amazing to see her create this dangerous element; regardless of the fact that she seemed to be afraid of things that remained unknown to her.

My eyes looked over the flames to see the satisfied smile on Ember's face. The deep orange glow of the fire made her look stunning.

A small blush rose in my cheeks when she looked back at me with her yellow eyes, "Let's go inside, I'm all wet and cold."

"Yeah, me too."

We tossed a few handfuls of snow over our burning creation and left it behind as we went back into the house. There was a trail of water dripping behind us when we walked across the hardwood floor. Even our clothes under the protective outwear were drenched.

I could see the miserable look on Ember face as she realized everything had gotten wet, "UGH, this is why I hate winter." Her little temper made her throw down the soggy scarf in the empty kitchen sink.

"Relax, give me your clothes and I'll toss them in the wash." It was my fault anyways.

"Can I jump in the shower? I feel like I'm going to freeze to death." Her lips trembled a little as her teeth clattered together.

I'm not going to lie; it was a sad sight to see, "Yeah, the bathroom's down the hall and it's the first door to the left.

Em disappeared to the bathroom and returned with a towel wrapped around her body; the wet clothes were in her hands but I honestly didn't notice anything else but her.

_Stop doing this to me brain, I'm already in a mess because of you._

My head pushed pass the unwanted desire and I took her clothes.

"What about you? You're going to catch something crazy if you don't warm up." She put a finger on my lips before she looked up at me, "Your lips are blue."

Her touch paralyzed me, "There's only one bathroom. I can wait until your done."

Her eyebrow lifted, "Are you sure?"

I nodded and walked away with the clothes.

The sounds of the water filling the laundry machine entered my ears as I prepared the wash. I closed the lid and reentered the cabin.

There was some singing coming from the bathroom; I smiled as I heard Ember singing such a happy tune. I continued walking pass the restroom and went into my room to pull out a box I found full of movies. Before I went out I changed into some sweatpants and a loose fitting black shirt.

I set the box on the coffee table in front of the couch and started pulling out the cases.

_Where are all the horror films?_

Suddenly a recognizable cover emerged from the sea of movies.

"Heat Signature?" I turned around to the soft voice and found Ember back in nothing but a bath towel again.

"Wanna watch?"

"Yeah, but can I borrow some clothes?" Her burgundy hair lay damp against her head and her golden eyes looked dull from the subtle lighting in the living room.

I went to my room and pulled together some clothes for her; she thanked me and got dressed in the bathroom. When she got out my lengthy clothes made her look shorter then she already was. Seeing her like this made me smile and again she could tell it was because of her.

"Don't mock me" She giggled and sat on the corner of the couch where a blanket was waiting anxiously for her. As we waited for the movie to start I sat on the opposite corner of the couch. My left arm rested on the side while my right one was placed on the top of the couch.

While the movie progressed I could see Em fidgeting in her seat, her eyes where halfway hidden under the blanket and her legs were no longer dangling off the couch.

"Are you scared?"

I think my tone was too insensitive because she shot right back at me. "NO."

Right as she snapped back an unexpected scene came up; a bloody face covered most of our TV screen along with a shrill cry that even made me jump up a little. Em pressed herself against my ribs and kept the blanket over her face.

My first reaction was to laugh but that feeling was quickly shot down. This reminded me of the first day I met Bonnibel and the thunder had scared her into my arms.

Bonni's pretty face came into mind and I could feel my heart start to ache. I allowed my chest to release the strained sigh that suffocated my breathing.

It was loud enough that it made Ember look up at me, "Are you okay? You know this movie really isn't a tear jerker." Her hand covered her peripherals so she couldn't see the screen.

That made me laugh, "Ha, no it's not that. I just… I keep thinking about her." I slumped my cheek into my left hand and kept my daze on the movie.

Ember wrapped her warm arms around me, put her head on my chest and finally moved her attention to the television. My arms held her tightly as I allowed my new friend to soothe me with her embrace.

Feeling the heat rushing from her body made me feel all warm and sleepy. I gave out a yawn and it automatically triggered one out of Ember's mouth. The movie came to a stop and I turned off the television before the white noise could blare into our ears.

"Come on, let's get some sleep"

I nudged her with my hands and she groaned softly. "Marci?"

That was the first time she had called me that; I couldn't stop the smile, "Yeah?"

"I wish I could help you with, well you know, dating and stuff. It's just hard because I've never gone through that. I wish I could help you but I just can't" Em's voice sounded a little horse, and she kept her head buried in my side.

"You help a lot more then you think you do, trust me."

.

**Em's POV**

Tiny blades of thin yellow green grass began to poke through the remaining slush of the season; it was pretty obvious that spring was already here.

I admired the scenery from my dorm room as I waited for my unpredictable friend to show up and steal me from my little prison. She was taking music lessons from one of the teachers here so I got to see her more often.

Marceline grew on me, she taught me to stop being so defensive whenever she wanted to help me and I did my best to distract her from being so miserable.

A few days ago I had her spill out everything that happened on Homecoming since all I knew about it was that she kicked the crap out of some guy. She explained to me that the guy was her ex boyfriend and the ass kicking was the result of him breaking her favorite bass. Marci hesitated but she eventually broke down and told me about how she truly felt about Bonnibel.

There was a knock at my door that pulled me away from that very long and saddening discussion with her.

When I opened my door Marci was at the other end with the black acoustic guitar in her hand. This was her first time seeing the inside of my shared bedroom.

"Hey Marci." I walked out and quickly closed the door; I wanted to leave before my roommate noticed she was here.

Yesterday I had to ask her to come to my dorm room because whenever we agreed to meet in the school's plaza she was constantly being approached by guys and girls that were interested in my mysterious older friend. Just last night I found out my roommate had a crush on her so I got a little protective.

I pushed aside the minor amount of jealousy and let myself feel glad to see her.

"Hey, ready to go?" She asked rather impatiently.

"What's the rush? Too many hotties on your trail?" I loved being so playful with her, we shared a strange sense of humor and it never seemed to bother us.

"No, but I really need your help." She looked at me with a very serious look on her face.

_She needed my help?_

"Well actually I need your help with two things." Marci's head tilted a little and she gave me a half smile. She was trying to hide something.

We walked to her car and she grabbed hold of my hand before I could pull open the door. The cold touch against my burning hands will always haunt me; the temperature of her hands had to be abnormal. I could feel my blood rushing up to my cheeks but it wasn't from anger.

"What's wrong?" She tugged lightly on my fingers as I continued looking at the door handle.

I was disorientated from her holding my hand, "Huh?"

She let go and leaned her guitar against the side of her car, "You didn't even give me a hug, that's not natural, even for you. You're always up in my biz." Her arms sat cross-crossed on her chest as she mimicked her acoustic and let one foot slide up against the car.

There was a small pause were I couldn't even look directly at her, I wanted to tell her, but instead I held it back and went into her arms. It was an awkward cuddle to say the least; she barely gave any effort to return my unusual hold.

We pulled away and entered the car; it was a very quiet drive to her grandparent's house from my school. When we arrived she came around to my side and opened the red door for me.

_Ugh, why is she so nice to me._

I followed behind her as she entered the 2-car garage on the side of the cabin. The only light inside the building came from a couple of light bulbs that were placed on the opposite ends of the ceiling, Marci bent down near the large aluminum door and push it up about three feet off the ground.

The light happily rushed in and revealed a detached royal blue drum set.

"Still willing to help?" Her voice came from behind my neck and it sent a warm rush down my body.

"Yeah, but I don't know squat about drums." I turned to face her blushed cheeks and she immediately put her eyes down to the floor; something was definitely going on.

"I figured, but I what I really need help on are these." Marceline held up two-dozen envelopes in her hand. I didn't notice she was holding anything until she handed them all to me.

I pulled off the rubber band that held the bunch together and read the each cover carefully.

They were all from Bonnibel.

My eyes looked up to see that Marci had taken a seat on an old futon that was pushed against the sidewall; her face was buried in her hands and she gave out a few sighs.

"She's been sending one every week, but I've refused to open them." It was a little muffled but I was able to make out the words.

There was a mixture of anger and jealously steaming from my heart. In some weird way I felt hurt that she never bothered to tell me about these. I thought she was out of the picture by now since Marceline stopped mentioning her after winter break.

_Why is she asking me for help now?_

"Marci, I don't know how I can help." There was an obvious hint of rage behind my voice; this made her look up at me.

Her eyes were puffy and she looked so helpless. When she finally spoke her voice trembled a little, "Burn them. I want nothing to do with them." The look on her face made me feel awful for my inconsiderateness.

"Are you sur…"

"I'm tired of crying every fucking night. I'm sick of feeling like this was all my fault." She stood up and closed her hands into tight fists, "I don't want to think or hear about her. I'm exhausted…" she came closer to me, "…and I just can't take it any more." The last word was broken with her crying.

I have never seen someone cry that many tears in my whole life. A few of them rolled off her cheeks and onto the cards in my hand; they smudged away at some of the neat black cursive writing.

My hands let go of the envelopes and it brought up a cloud of dust when they hit the floor. I placed myself directly under her and pushed myself up with the tips of my toes.

Out lips met, and just like when our hands touched, we had to pull away from the temperature shock. My breathing was all over the place; there was too much excitement and a small trace of anxiety.

Marceline gave me a very surprising tone; she growled at me, "Don't ever do that again." She bent down to pick up the cards and they were pushed back into my hands.

I hung down my head, I felt so stupid for putting myself out there like that. My heart didn't desire the affection from girls; it just longed to feel it from her. A cold finger brought my head up to look back at the pretty girl with grey eyes.

"I like you…" She paused to give out a sigh, "But I like you for all the wrong reasons."

_She likes me?_

"I don't want to hurt you but most importantly I don't want to lose you." She wrapped her long limbs around my body, "You're my prefect distraction, and it's completely unfair to you. I feel like I'm using you."

Marceline closed her eyes and tightened her hold on me. Hearing her talk badly about herself made me furious because she wasn't the horrible monster that other's made her think she's become. She was nothing more then a hurt human being fighting for survival in this cruel uninviting world. My heart was beating so fast I could feel the pulse throughout my body.

"Hurt me all you want, I don't care, cause I'm not leaving." My head was on her shoulder facing away from her. I didn't want her to let go; her hold always made me feel safe.

Marci pushed me off with her hands on my shoulders, "Don't say that." Her eyes were still watery from all the wasted tears on her lost love.

This time I couldn't hold back my anger, "Stop telling me what to do!" I fought back and pushed her arms off me while taking a step back.

She kept her stance and was a little taken back from my furry.

"I'm not going anywhere. If you just want to use me as some pitiful little excuse for forgetting your pain then fine. Don't you think I've had a hard time pushing Finn out of my heart? I need you just like you need me. I'm never going to see him again, just like you're never going to see _her_ again" The sound of my panting was the only notable noise we could hear in the old dusty garage.

I began to shake; in sadness, anger, maybe even in fear.

This time I started to release the tears I fought so hard to hold back. My eyes closed tightly as I let my hair cover my face in embarrassment.

I felt a cold sensation through my shirt; Marci put one hand on my side while she used the other to wrap around my neck. It was a feeling I didn't enjoy but it was soon canceled out by way she began to touch me seductively.

She lowered her head so our lips could meet again. My eyes quickly opened and saw that hers were safely closed. I copied her and she brought both her hands to my face. It was gentle yet powerful; my hands were left dangling to my side and I had to go back on my tiptoes to reach her welcoming kiss.

For a small second I thought I was floating above the ground with only her hands keeping me up.

Marceline slowly pulled away and gave way to a shaky sigh, "I'm sorry, but it can never be more then this. You're my friend and she'll always be my love."

"It's okay," there wasn't any disappointment in me, "just don't stop this." I went back for another taste of her plump icy lips. This time she returned it without any tears; she pulled me in at the hips and again I was lost in her strong hold.

_She'll never love me but I think we both needed to feel something else rather then isolation and fear._

.

**Marci's POV**

I dragged the thin sheet of metal on the flint steel and it gave a few inadequate sparks. It ran up a second time and back down for a third time; nothing happened.

"Marci, it's paper, it should light instantly." Ember sat on a small boulder behind me monitoring my every move.

"Get off my back, I got this." I went in for my fourth time and failed. Em roared in laughter.

"Hey this is harder then it looks."

"You're just a weakling," She giggled away; her eyes looked into mine as she scrunched her nose at me.

"Oh yeah?" My hand dropped the tiny rod and leaned behind me to press my forehead against hers. "Who's weak now?"

"It's still you" She grabbed on to the collar of my grey button down shirt and pulled me down to the wet grass with her. I put my hands out in front of me to break most of my fall so my weight wouldn't crush her small body.

Small bits of rocks and dirt jabbed into my palm and I cringed at the slight sting.

"Are you okay?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her golden eye on my lips.

_Why aren't you jumping all over this perfect situation? You deserve to be happy too._

I inhaled deeply as I pushed away a lock of her hair that was blocking my great view of her cute face. "I am now." My lips pressed against the hot surface of her neck; Em's tense body melted under me as grazed over the area with my tongue.

She gave out a small moan that drove me insane.

My teeth sunk into the aroused skin on her neck and this time she moaned louder. "Mm-Marci."

This time they dug in a little deeper; I was dying to hear her say my name louder. My hands landed on her thighs as I pushed myself closer to her body; the feeling of her warm embrace captivated me.

"…Marceline?"

I froze in my actions.

_That was not the voice I wanted to hear._


	14. Untitled

**Chapter 14:**

**Untitled**

**Marceline's POV**

My eye's met a pair of coal black eyes off in the distance and my aching lungs gave out a huge sigh of relief. Ember's hands landed on my waist and she pushed herself out from under me; her face was flushed. She was trying to catch her breath while her eyes searched for nothing on the floor. Em was out of my clutch in an instant and sat beside me while I was kneeling on the wet spring grass.

My head turned to her; she was still looking down at the floor, "Hey, It's okay. It's just my Dad."

Em stayed motionless, I could tell this didn't reassure her because the sides of her jaw began to tighten and a bright red flush came up to her cheekbones.

_What is he doing all the way out here?_

"I'm going to see what he wants, just stay here. I'll be right back, okay?" My hand landed on her shoulder hoping I could comfort the freaked out facial expression she was giving.

There was no change in her attitude as my hands pushed my body up to my weaken feet and walked over to my Dad. I looked behind me to see her adorable face as I left her behind with the pit full of Bonnibel's letters.

My mind was still trying to understand the concept of my odd little relationship with Ember. There was definitely some fighting between my head and heart; I longed for happiness while I remained sinking in sorrow. My heart told me I was too vulnerable but my head argued that it was time for some much needed change.

When I finally reached my Dad I could tell he was a little uncomfortable about witnessing what I had been doing with his friend's daughter. His fingers played with his cufflinks restlessly; I could see that his eyes followed the mesmerizing rhythmic singing of songbirds in a nearby tree.

Both hands were pushed deep into the pockets of his finely pressed black slacks and he cleared his throat before he greeted me, "Hey there Marceline." He moved his gaze from the large Sycamore tree and turned slightly to face me.

"Hey Dad," Blood quickly rushed up to my cheeks and my head turned away from his striking eyes; being caught by my old man was very embarrassing, "What's up?"

Hunson adjusted the solid red tie neatly under his collar, "I needed to come talk to you. See, I knew you giving up your mobile phone would be a bad idea."

"You know me Dad, I love living the rugged lumberjack life." I was trying to lighten the mood; he smirked at my stupid comeback.

My Dad turned to face me and inhaled deeply, "Anyways, your musical trainer phoned me last week to give me some good news. Apparently she's been very impressed with your progression; she told me she's been recording your growth."

I cut him off between his little statement, "My recording assignments? I didn't think those were _that_ big of a deal."

"Well let me finish," His smile didn't match the underlying emotion he was hiding from me; was it excitement? "She wanted me to review them as your personal lawyer and…"

"Dad stop beating around the bush. Spit it out." My voice was unintentionally sharp. I quickly slipped in my manners, "Please."

"Once you're done with your courses in the summer you're going to be traveling for several months meeting with a handful of music agents." He quietly added, "and just so you know you have eight agents fighting for you."

I couldn't believe what he was telling me. That means my teacher actually sent my self-written sad songs out to the criticizing world of music; not only that but some sad fool out there enjoyed it.

"What? No, you're just messing around with me right?" There was obviously excitement in my voice, "Please tell me you're joking."

"Marceline, why on Earth would I drive four hours from home just to tell you something that was not true? I don't lie to you, remember?" he opened his arms waiting for me to fly right in. My arms wrapped around his neck and he purposely hugged tighter then I would have liked.

"Guh, you're going to crush me with your demon strength."

He gave a low chuckle and smoothed the wrinkles from his suit right after I pulled away. "Ready for your surprise?"

_If hearing that I was going to travel to broadcast my music wasn't a surprise to my Dad then what was?_

Hunson made me follow him to his black luxurious car and he opened the back door slowly. He reached in a pulled out a familiar mahogany body from the minor darkness his tainted windows gave the car.

I felt my breathing stop.

"MY BASS!"

I accepted my old friend into my arms and closely examined the unreal illusion; the neck was once again attached, body was still in its axe form and it had a clean set of strings.

He was saved.

My chest began to feel tight and I began to choke up. "Dad, it's… I… I can't believe it." I collected myself before I could go any further, "I thought I'd never see him again."

I pulled the crimson colored strap over my head and it hung across my shoulder; instantly I felt a portion of the void in my heart start to fill. The fingers on my right hand pulled away at the thick nickel wounded strings as the ones on my left danced gracefully over the frets.

The heavy bass was held tightly against my body; I was thinking of ways to say thank you but I was left speechless.

My Dad just stood there watching me like this was my first time ever receiving my favorite possession in this world. The corner of his mouth perked up and he gave me a half smile, "Just don't go off breaking it again, it cost me a fortune." His right arm lazily lifted from his side and invited me in for a side hug.

I happily accepted the second sappy gesture.

"The guy in the repair shop…" I zoned Hunson out.

_He's really here, in my arms, I can't believe it._

"…keep the pick ups clean. Oh and…"

_I have to show Ember!_

"You got that Marceline?" My Dad could tell I was blowing him off, but he didn't seem to mind; he understood the weird connection I had to this old Bass and respected it.

I looked up at him a little fazed, "Oh, yeah Dad." Again my attention was fully on the heavy mahogany body; there were scuffs and chips missing, nonetheless he was perfect.

"I have to go back home, I have an early Saturday Morning case tomorrow." His hand landed on my upper arm and I noticed his voice had changed, "Hey Marci, be careful with her." He cocked his head over my shoulder.

My eyes plunge into the black abyss in his eyes; he was talking about Ember, "Dad, she's not dangerous, it's okay."

He shook his head and completely caught me off guard, "She's not the one I'm worried about… it's her Dad."

The blood from my face drained and I could feel the fear pumping through my veins.

"You've, unfortunately, already gotten a little taste of his overprotection. We've been friends for a while; it would be a shame if I lost his friendship, but it would be worse if _you_ get into some serious trouble." The hand he had on my arm released it's grip and he came in for another strange hug while I was taken aback.

_He's right. Ember's Dad is pretty shielding._

"Hey come visit soon. Okay? Oh this is for you." His hand pulled out a black sealed envelope from the interior pocket of his suit and stated a little more seriously then I was used to, "It's important so don't forget."

I scoffed with a smile, "Yeah Dad, I'll see you soon."

I put the letter into my back pocket and looked over my shoulder to see that Ember was still sitting on the grass where we had just finished fooling around. There was a risk being with her, a risk too stupid to take, but I was in the mood to do something reckless.

_Glob, am I thinking straight? Clearly I'm not if I have to ask myself._

I heard my Dad's black car roar to life and he waved at me while I watched him exit the small driveway of the cabin. The calm of the forest returned to normal when his thunderous motor raced down the mountain.

Axel was pushed over my shoulder and took his usual place on my back.

"Marci?" The sudden sound of her worried voice sunk my heart. I turned to face her; yellow eyes were full of fear and her lips were pressed tightly together. "He's not going to tell anyone right?"

I knew she specifically meant her Dad.

Knowing I wasn't allowed to have her made me want her more. There was no reason behind my thinking and all I could think about was how wonderful it could be to have her. Once again my heart fought my evil thoughts; it begged me to keep myself out of trouble.

I sighed heavily.

"Don't worry about it, he's not like that." I felt the weight of my bass shift as she dug her head on my soulder. The smell of cinnamon filled my nose as I held her tighter against me. This mixture of temptation and fear were at my throat waiting for me to show some sign of weakness.

_I'm the one who has to do this? Great._

Without thinking I reached for her hand and began pulling her into the forest.

Em dragged her feet a little until she could keep up to my pace, "Where are we going?"

"Getting out of here."

Her voice changed from being utterly worried to unmistakably intrigued. "What about the letters?"

"Don't worry we'll be right back, I just want to show you something."

"…alright," the hesitation in her voice made me give her a smile that she was unable to see.

There was a small stretch of deep shadows in the forest; we held our arms out to avoid any trees as we pushed toward the dull yellow light at the end of the woods.

Our eyes squinted at the sudden daybreak burning our pupils into tiny dots. We were finally able to fully open our eyes and see the wonderful scene around us.

There was an open valley partially occupied by the canopy of the thick forest and a small lake. I walked over to the ledge of the plummeting end of the forest and looked down a 15-yard drop. The wind rustled the grey shirt I wore against my body.

I felt invincible. The cold air rushed into my lungs and I exhaled the last remains of my sigh.

Em slipped her hand into mine as she scooted her warm body closely against my back; I could tell she was frightened but I held back my teasing for this peculiar moment with her.

"We need to talk." I spoke softly.

Her tone was a little distressed, "Did your Dad say something about us?"

My head nodded away as I continued looking out to the beauty in the vast wilderness; the sun was about to dip behind the mountains that hid us away from the town we longed to forget.

"Your Dad is going to kill us if he finds out what we're doing," My hand ran throughout the shorten side of my hair and looked back at her blushed cheeks, "He's going to kill _me_."

Her eyes closed slightly as she giggled behind my shoulder, "Marci, we just have to be more careful."

I finally turned to looked directly at her, "I don't think that'll be a problem as long as we're here, but the thing is…" My tongue didn't want to release it, but I forced it out, "I'm too old for you."

She started to laugh and I got a little frustrated at her. She didn't understand what I was trying to get at.

"You're only two years older." Her arms wrapped around my neck and she drew me into her warmth. She lowered her voice and came close to my ear, "I like that you're older."

I wanted to push her off me to show her I was being serious, but she wanted me regardless of the risk that we posed. So instead she stayed in the safety of my arms.

"Your Dad is going to flip if he sees a 18 year old 'adult' messing around with his delicate little flame." My head leaned over to catch a glimpse of her red-orange blush; I smirked in approval, "This is the stupidest thing I've ever done."

Her lips warmed my cold lifeless lips; she pulled away before I could part them for a more inviting kiss. I groaned in disappointment.

"You think this is stupid?" Ember's growing pout made me feel bad for not being more specific.

"No, no. It's not what I meant." She waited quietly for me to continue, "I think not caring about us getting in trouble is stupid. You mean a lot to me, I just worry that he'll take you away like he did with Finn"

It finally sunk into her the dangers of this forbidden lust we craved. There were tears in her eyes but they refused to leave her beautiful golden gems. I could hear her voice getting choked back into dryness, "But… what if…"

"Hey hey, don't get all worked up." I tucked her burning hair under my chin trying to soothe the unsettling sound in her voice. "I can only protect you so much. You know your Dad more then me, so I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. Can you see why this is bothering me?"

Her head stayed on my chest as she nodded in agreement.

The wind pushed against our bodies while we stood on the side of the cliff; the dark orange glow of the sun transformed the land into a fiery kingdom. Seeing this made me smile and I pulled Em away to show her the wonderful sight.

Her eyes were awestruck but her stare seemed troubled; I must've struck a nerve.

"Can I play you something?"

Ember pushed her head back to put her full attention on me, "Marceline, I don't feel like listening to depressing music right now."

"Just hear me out… please?"

She was unsure but allowed me to prove what I was intending was not to bring her down.

I had her sit on the very edge of the cliff with her legs hanging off; I wrapped myself behind her and pulled my bass into her lap. My arms reached around her body to adjust the heavy instrument closer. Her head nestled itself unto her shoulder and looked over to my red axe.

"This isn't meant to be played on the bass but I can make it work,

You know that it would be untrue.

You know that I would be a liar.

If I was to say to you,

Girl, we couldn't get much higher.

Come on baby light my fire.

Come on baby light my fire.

Try to set the night on fire."

She leaned her body against mine, "I guess that wasn't so bad."

The sound of her voice had finally seemed happier; all I could do now was try to make things better, "Oh really? How about this?"

.

**Ember's POV**

She inhaled deeply before she sung out,

"Ooooh noose,

Tied myself in, tied myself too tight.

Looking kind of anxious in your cross arm stance,

Like a bad tempered Prom Queen at a Homecoming dance.

And I claim I'm not excited with my life anymore.

So I blame this town, this job, these friends,

The truth is it's myself…

I'm trying to understand myself and pinpoint who I am.

When I finally get it figured out I've change the whole damn plan.

Ooooh noose,

Tied myself in, tied myself too tight."

Her fingers plucked a low haunting melody. Her lips grazed my cheeks then moved down to my neck. I closed my eyes feeling her sadness flow from her voice. She continued.

"Talking shit about a pretty sunset,

Blanketing opinions that I'll probably regret soon.

I've changed my mind so much I can't even trust it,

My mind's change me so much I can't even trust myself."

There was only bittersweet happiness left behind in my heart as the song ended. Marceline made so much more sense when she let music speak for her.

She released a prolonged sigh, "That's the last depressing song I play from now on." Her whisper made me sink into her body more then it already was. "You make me so happy, thank you for being such a great friend. I don't think I could have made it this far without you."

I wanted to change her mind but what was I going to say? Hey risk everything for someone you don't even love. There was no way I was going to ruin a perfectly good friendship.

_I guess this is what it feels like to grow up. Having to make good decisions even when you are against them._

"Marceline?"

"Yeah Em?" She placed the heavy bass guitar next to us as we watched the sun start to disappear from the beautiful scene below us.

I sighed, "I'll always be here for you."

She let out something that sounded like a mix between scoff and a sigh, "You know I'll always be here for you too right?"

I nodded.

Marci pulled me so my body was partially facing her; she was about to lean in for a kiss but stopped herself with her lips a quarter of an inch away. "Can I? Just one last time?"

How could I pass down the sexy half smile she gave me?

My head nodded heavily, "I think we're safe out here"

I lunged for her but she easily dominated me when our lips clashed together. She pulled me over her body as she sucked on the lower part of my lip. I gave her little moans that made her squirm under me.

Her hands ran down my back and landed on the small curve above my butt. My excitement grew as my mind wandered off to the many things I wished Marceline could do to me. Being this intimate with her made me start feeling a physical unexplainable desire.

She pulled away, "Getting all hot and bothered?" Her laid back smile shook me away from the spell of our lust.

I was a little self-conscious to say the least, "Yeah… sorry about that," I panted between my response and Marci cupped my cheek with her hand.

We lay there staring at each other before she kissed me delicately on the forehead, "We should go, it looks like it's going to rain."

I looked up and noticed the darken clouds that hid away the beautiful orange glow coming from the sun.

_Rain? Ugh I hate getting wet._

She read my mind, "Come on grump let's go before you get all wet."

We got up quickly before the clouds could have the chance to roll in further into our area; we also needed the insignificant amount of light from the sun to manage through the woods. I saw a black envelope hanging from Marceline's pant pocket before it fell to the floor.

"Hey you dropped something." I pointed down and her eyes followed the direction.

"Oh crap, thanks" She lifted the creased letter from the soft forest ground, her name was beautifully written in crimson letters, "My Dad said this was important."

My mind and heart settled away their differences as we left behind our last memory to the woods, "Want to go start that bonfire already?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I might have to toss this one in there when I'm done with it."

"You think you can start it?" I mocked her.

She rolled her eyes at me, "I don't even want to bother trying."

With one swift movement she ripped a side of the envelope and pulled out a few pages; she put the bass guitar on her back and walked beside me into the dense forest.

As we continued our way back to her cabin I noticed she was starting to trail behind. Every time I looked back at Marci she seemed to be falling back a little more; her eyes were stuck on the pieces of paper like her life depended on it. I kept quiet and just made sure I didn't leave her completely behind.

The forest began to clear up and once again we were in Marceline's backyard. The pile of cards remained untouched; I began looking for my flint steel that Marci tossed into the grass. I had to find it before the sun was completely gone.

The charcoal colored rod poked out from a small patch of newly grown flowers near our little pit. I could still feel her presence behind me with her mind musing in Hunson's letter.

I placed the rod between my fingers and was about to ignite Marceline's unwanted memories until she powerfully grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"Wait Ember! Please, please don't light them." I could see that she had been silently crying to herself, but for how long? Her swollen tear-filled eyes looked down at the letters.

She fell to her knees, pushed away the small twigs and ripped open every letter. Her eyes scanned each letter with the same expression every time; they would be torn open, read then tossed to the side so she could reach for another.

The mess of paper was scattered all around us like snow would blanket the ground.

Seeing her so frantic only made me more concerned. When she put down the last letter Marceline's pale face was completely washed out, it looked like she was in actual shock.

"I have to leave." Her mind was elsewhere, "I have to leave."

"Marce…"

She snapped out of it for a split second, "Stay here, it's too late for you to walk back to school by yourself." Again she was bewildered, "I have to leave."

Marceline dug her hands in her pocket and pulled out her car keys. She ran over to the red car; in less then 5 seconds I saw the car door fly open and she disappeared.

The tires screeched against the old asphalt and the sound of her car echoed away into the mountains.

_Marceline._

I could only hope that she was going to be okay.

.

**Bonnibel's POV**

There was a soft tapping on the roof of my house. Hearing the relaxing pitter-patter of the rain made me open my eyes. My bedroom was still with darkness; a small slit of light crept into my room from under the inch gap on the bottom of the door.

I was dying to go to sleep, to forget, to remember or maybe to actually care about something.

Long locks of my strawberry blonde hair snuck out from the bun that held it tightly together. My body didn't have the strength to get out of the clothes I wore to school. I lay face down into one of my bright pink throw pillows and buried my hands underneath it.

There was a soft knock on my door and soon a low squeak followed, "Bonnibel?" Pepper called for me but I couldn't answer.

He sat on the corner of my bed where my feet remained motionless, "Belle, I'm sorry for everything that you've gone through but moping around isn't healthy. You have to eat something, come on, I made your favorite tea."

I talked into my pillow, "Pepper, just let me be." The pathetic sound of crying swelled inside my throat; the light strangle made my voice fluctuate.

"Bonnibel…I…"

This time I rolled my head to the side, he was wearing a clean white button down shirt and some nice khaki pants; his worried eyes gave no impression on me.

"Please, just go."

"Very well Bonni…I'll be going home now." He left the door to my room slightly open as he exited my dark haven.

I closed my eyes again; the time moved so slowly and eventually the light sprinkle turned into a heavy downpour. The rain pounded on my helpless roof while the wind whistled and rattled away at my bedroom window. My body felt heavy, my temples throbbed in pain and every day felt like I was in a hazy daydream.

Again I heard knocking coming from my door; the faint sound made we realize it was coming from my front door. The knock was subsided into a soft tapping sound and continued until I forced myself out of bed.

_Did Pepper lock himself out or am I dreaming?_

I entered my lightly lit hallway while my hands pulled off the hair tie holding my bun in place. My scalp thanked me for the sweet relief; I walked pass the pink couch in my living room to the front door.

I was about a yard away when I heard the doorbell.

_1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…_

My body refused for me to continue towards the door. The thought of Marceline being outside became fiction. This wouldn't be the first time I dreamt of her return; some of them would end happily while the others would play out horribly wrong.

The sound of the deadbolt sliding out of place made a low clank as I proceeded to open the only thing blocking me from the raging storm and the truth.

The sunken grey eyes of Marceline waited fretfully for someone to answer. I refused to believe she was actually there; I tricked my mind into thinking that she was a hallucination and nothing more. It was just a deceiving cruel joke on me.

I was observing the shorten side of her hair when reality finally hit me. She was only an arms reach away but I've never felt so distant to her. Her persona was unusual and she looked at me differently. She was different, but nonetheless, it was really her.

_Mr. Abadeer must've told her, but why is she here?_

Her pain filled eyes promptly switched over to anger, "Tell me it's not true." She was breathing heavily as she snarled at me.

Nothing could possibly come out, my ability to speak was taken away by the hurt feelings that came as a price to her presence, "…I"

"None of it's true right? Simon's not..." The denial in her eyes broke apart my heart piece by piece. "He's not…"

She begged for me to lie to her; I could see that her emotions couldn't decide weather to be completely furious at me for breaking her heart or be utterly saddened by Simon's death.

My head shook with my hazel eyes locked to her now crying eyes. Her eyes shut tightly as she harshly rubbed away the tears.

Marci look one last look at me and stomped away into the pouring rain without saying another word.

She made it down the porch stairs when I was finally able to find my voice, "I'm sorry."

Marceline stopped and tolerated the rain soaking the grey shirt and dark jeans she wore. Her hands turned into fists and she hung her head, "I don't need your pity."

In desperation of loosing her I cried her name hoping she would stay.

She shot back with her teeth clenched together, "What?"

"Please don't leave me again, it's not fair, I just…let me…" my mouth blubbered away as the tears came streaming down. "Just give me a chance."

Marci returned to me on the porch with an intense glare, "Give _you_ a chance? Really? After what you put me through you want _me_ to give to give _you _a chance?" Her chuckle was evil; she pushed her head back in a roar of laughter before she could speak again. "Fuck you."

My cheeks burned red in anger as I continued with my helpless crying, "Marci, please don't say that, you don't mean it."

Once again she came closer to me; her body was the closest it's been in over half a year and I still desired her; I still loved her…

"Fuck you," She whispered into my ear with sheer hatred, "You didn't give me a chance, why should I give you one?"

"Give you… a chance?"

Her head dropped down and her evil tone was soon washed over by a weakened hurt voice, "You gave up on me, without even giving my a chance."

"I know, I just…"

"No you don't know. You have no fucking clue how hurt I was, how hurt I still am." Her yelling didn't add well to both of our unpredictable feelings.

I couldn't believe she was talking to me like this; she swore like this only effect her when that was obviously not true.

"I had to accept the fact that the rest of the school year wouldn't be like our first month together, and I was okay with that Bonnibel. I knew you were going to be stressed out and you were going to need me there to support and love you through the anger, the yelling and all the frustration." She lifted her head and I could see the tears falling from her think black eyelashes, "Instead I became your problem and you wanted nothing to do with me."

My heart sank; I couldn't help but wonder if this whole thing could have been avoided if I just kept my mouth shut. Even if I just gave her the chance to explain herself things would have been better then this, they had to be.

Her anger took over this time, "Did you think I was fucking joking around when I said I loved you? If you have something to say just say it or else I'm out of here" She exhaled brashly.

Marceline knew nothing of the hurt she left behind with me that night.

"You promised you would never leave me like that again." There was rage underlining my weakened pride. Replayed these conversations in my head, but they were useless, I was useless.

All I wanted to do was hug her and tell her I was sorry for being so stupid.

She completely brushed away what I just told her. "Whatever, you'll _never_ understand how badly you fucked me over." She growled as she turned away.

Before she could even take her first step I grabbed on to her wrist and finally let the untamed anger out from my heart, "No Marci. _You_ will never understand how badly I was fucked over."

Marci froze; her body was permitting my handgrip on her wrist. "If you loved me so much why didn't you fight for me Marceline? Why wouldn't you just answer my calls or write back?" I tugged at her arm hoping she would wrap her arms around me and take me back into her alluring hold.

She gave me no answer.

I sobbed silently as I let my heavy head droop down, this time my voice lowered into a pathetic whimper, "Why are you even here?"

In the back of my mind I imagined her pulling away and leaving me again, I envisioned her telling me she was over me and wanted nothing to do with me. Instead she surprised me when she finally spoke.

"I didn't read your letters until today." Her fingers intertwined in my hand, "If I would have stopped being so stubborn I could have been here for him instead of letting my best-friend die alone."

This wasn't about her and I anymore. My pride had to push back the anger and hurt running through me. She needed me.

The pain in her voice stung deep my heart and I was finding it hard to breath, "You found out everything…today?"

Marceline broke out into a hysterical cry and she finally turned to face me; her free hand pushed away the rolling rivers from her eyes. "I can't believe I just left him here. I… I forgot him. I wanted to forget everything and I was too stubborn to…"

I stopped Marci's depressing rant with my lips pressing hard against her mouth. Her hands came up to my shoulders and I could tell she wanted to push me off but was unable to follow through. She wrapped her welcoming arms around my neck and accepted the pitiful kiss. My arms hugged her thin waistline closer to me.

Her hands grabbed my wrists and placed them on her shoulders. This time her hands landed on waist and made our bodies rub closely together.

She kissed me feverishly trying to push me up against the front door. Without a word I reached behind me and pushed open the door to my house. Marceline stopped kissing me and realized what was happening.

"Please stay the night with me." I begged like I never begged in my life before.

Marci stayed motionless in the front entrance of my house staring inside with a blank expression of her face; her soaked clothing made a small puddle underneath her feet on my porch. I heard her inhale deeply and her eyes went back to mine; she just stare intently.

"Do you still love me?" I feared for the worse when I asked.

She looked away without saying a word to me.

There was a bright flash of lightening and almost immediately I let the fear escape my lips with a heart-wrenching gasp. In pure panic I closed my eyes and froze waiting for the loud crash of thunder.

Her arms wrapped around me before the sound of the booming thunder made me tremble in fright.

"Of course I still love you"

I felt her lips on my forehead before she put them gently on my lips. Her lips pressed harder and our kiss became longer and deeper as the time went by. The rich dark sweet smell of Marceline filled my nose; it always reminded me of fresh lavender. Her soft lips pulled away lightly graze mine; her hands tangled into my loose hair and I could feel myself lost in the heat of passion.

Marceline's lips ate hungrily at my restless kissing; she let her tongue slip between the small gap I left for her entrance. The strong warm muscle playfully caressed the upper tip of my tongue and pretty soon waves of warm overwhelming sensations rippled throughout my body.

I let my hands slip into her jeans pockets; her lips pressed a smile on our kiss.

She pulled away with the same nervous look she had when we first met, "...I've missed you" she swallowed hard, "a lot." The pain was still there, but she was able to control it.

"I've missed you too. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Marci." I pushed my forehead against her shoulder and let her hold me. "Please stay here with me."

Marceline's hand continued raking her fingers throughout my pink hair, "Are you sure we're ready for that?"

The slight sarcasm in her voice brought a smile to the face I hid away in her collarbone. My tears blended into her wet shirt but my sniffling gave away my crying,

"Oh glob, did I say something wrong? Of course I'll stay with you I didn't mean to…"

My crying mixed into laughter, "Marci, please don't apologize, I just… I can't believe you came back."

We stood there silently holding each other for several minutes until she finally whispered in my ear, "I'll always come back to you."


	15. Love Never Fails

**Chapter 15:**

**( )**

**Bonni's POV**

The soft glow from my bedroom lamp brought radiant colors into my once dark and silent sanctuary. Every so often we would hear the rain pour down heavily and the windows would rattle from the strong gust of wind. Lighting and thunder continued into the night but they were easily ignored while I was in Marceline's arms.

We sat against the headboard of my bed; she sat behind me kissing and burying her face into the side of my neck. I could feel her cool tears soaking into my skin while her breathing stayed in a continuous slow pace. Her hold on me was stronger then it's ever been, almost like she feared of physically loosing me again.

After a whole hour of silence had passed we still couldn't believe this was real.

I was dying to break our stillness, but I had no idea what to say or what to ask. I could only imagine how hard it was for her to process everything she had learned today.

Her hand bundled my hair together, pushed it over my right shoulder and she began kissing me tenderly on the back of my neck. Feeling the forgotten rush of her love brought a foreign smile to my face.

My eyes looked down to find a pair of my pink plaid bottoms wrapped around my body. I let my hand trail against the warm flannel fabric.

"Nice Pjs."

She stopped her kissing and put her chin on my shoulder; her lips let out an embarrassed groan, "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you Marci," I let out a dainty chuckle, "I should let you borrow my clothes more often."

She laughed quietly while shaking her head, "No thanks, you wear enough pink for the both of us." and just like that, silence filled the room.

The rain reduced into a heavy sprinkle and I could feel myself sinking deep into Marceline's arms. My mind was about to wander away into sleep until she asked me, "How are _you_ dealing with all of this?" Her voice sounded concerned.

Hearing her finally speak made me wake up; I was trying my best to hide the weariness in my tone, "It's been… it's been really hard. Everything just happened so fast I don't think I was able to let it fully sink in. It all feels so surreal." I let go of a small sigh hoping it would ease some of the pain in my chest.

She hid her eyes with my shoulder, "I didn't mean to put you through all of this. I'm so sorry Bonni."

"Marceline, please, this was all my fault. I just wish I could take it all back." My head hung down slightly.

"You can't blame yourself for everything," she inhaled deeply, "this is my fault too. Please don't try to defend me because we both made some mistakes... We aren't perfect but we do love each other, so we'll make it through."

Her reassuring words lifted a great weight off my shoulders, but there was still a small lingering pain in my heart, "How are you doing?"

My attention turned to her head that stay contently on my shoulder. She slowly moved her stare to me and her two glazed grey eyes captivated me; like a white screen in a pitch-black room.

"I just can't believe he's gone, Bonni." Marceline's voice choked on the tears she was struggling to keep hidden, "It's just not fair. He didn't deserve to leave the world this way, no one does… I never got to show him how I started my own band, or how I learned new instruments… He never got to meet you as my girlfriend and he will never get the chance to meet my future family or see what will become of me; he helped raise me, and he wasn't even allowed to enjoy the rest of his life to the fullest… He was robbed."

She finally let her crying win; she hugged me firmly then continued, "When I was younger I hated him for forgetting me… I feel so bad because I never got to apologize; by the time I came to my senses he had already completely forgotten me." Marceline shut her eyes tightly, "That shouldn't have been his last memory of me." Her voice was all over the place; she would sniffle here as there and gave out loud sobs.

Watching her be so vulnerable felt like a sin; I wanted to say something to comfort her, "Not even some of the greatest minds out there can begin to comprehend what happens to the brain and body when a patient is diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's... Marci you had no idea what was going on, you shouldn't blame yourself." I turned my body so I could let her come into my arms. "He loved you very much, and even though his longevity was shorten, receiving your love was enough for him to live his remaining days happily."

She continued her weeping until she settled down to a soft sniffle. Her body relaxed in my arms as she confessed the guilt that was slowly killing her. The sound of her breathing finally gained some composer and this time I held her in fear of loosing her.

My hand rubbed through her long jet-black hair until I reached the neatly trimmed part of her head. I liked the way the shorten hair tickled the palm of my hand, "I really like your hair. It looks good on you."

"I wasn't a fan at first but I guess it kind of grew on me," Marceline chuckled as she push away the last of her tears with the side of her hand.

"Very funny." I couldn't help but smile, "If you didn't like it then why did you do it?"

Her attitude was a bit too calm for the answer I received, "I pretty much didn't have a say in it. The surgeons shaved it off before I was fully conscious."

_The WHAT?_

My heart felt like it stopped beating in horror, "What happened? Are you okay?" I cupped her head into my hands and examined the exterior of her cranium for any signs of sutures or scars.

"Babe it's fine, it was a minor concussion and they didn't have to do anything because MRI came out clean." She pulled away from my grip, "It was that fight I had with Ash, but everything's okay now… don't worry." Her eyes and smile were extremely enticing but they didn't help my concern for her.

I eventually groaned in defeat, "This was after Homecoming? Glob I had no idea." Never have I felt such great pain develop in my stomach; she needed me that night for so many reasons and all I did was push her away with my yelling. My eyes were about the release the tears beading in the corner of my eyes until Marci wiped them away for me.

"That wasn't your fault, please don't cry." Her lips pressed gently on my forehead after she exhaled deeply.

She turned me around so she could hold me from behind once again. Her lips nibbled at my small earlobe; it was a weakness that made me giggle involuntarily.

Her lips left my lobe and her tongue pressed gently against the sensitive cartilage, "Mmm…music to my ears" she whispered softly.

Her love for me never left, it was pretty evident.

I felt my cheeks burning with my blood; my face hid from her pleased gaze into the inner part of her arm. Pretty soon my body sunk deep into her hold for a much-needed night alone with her. Exhaustion beat every ounce of energy out of me and left me to fall asleep in her arms.

Before I drifted away to my dreams I could hear Marci lulling me to sleep as her hand ran through my hair. _"Let me be the one who calls you 'baby' all the time. Surely you can take some comfort knowing that you're mine."_ Her arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me into a comforting hold, _"Just hold me tight, lay by my side, and let me be the one who calls you 'baby' all the time."_

As she cradled me I noticed her singing was different, not to bring down her amazing voice but it just sounded cleaner more define. It was beautiful just like her.

I drifted away wishing she would still be there when I woke up. For the first time in 6 months I dreamt of her and only her. I imagined her telling me she loved and missed me as she kissed me repetitively on my lips as well as the rest of my body. Her teeth would sink into my neck as I allowed her hands explore the body she yearned for.

The cold touch of her hand against my warm cheek woke me from the illusionary lovemaking in my dream. I was too tired to talk so I moaned hoping she would answer.

"Shh, it's okay, go back to sleep. You were just sleep-talking." I heard the slight satisfaction in her voice before I left my susceptible body to her.

When I emerged from my slumber Marceline was tangled into the many sheets and pillows around us. Her mouth was faintly parted and her arms were spread across the bed. The plain white v-neck pressed up against her body and showed off her incredibly toned body.

I tried my best to leave the bed without waking her from her peaceful state; as I moved away I noticed the sun beaming through the curtains. The sunlight stung her closed eyes and made her roll over giving out an annoyed groan.

"Oh Marceline," my hands closed the pale pink curtains; the darkness in my room didn't compare to shadow she used to sleeping in her loft. The small amount of light beamed off all the pinks, white, yellow and green in my room while her black walls and dark red sheets sucked the life out of anything remotely light.

There was a soft click as I pulled the door quietly behind me. The small beep coming from the answering machine in my laboratory lured me into my messy workspace. I took a seat on my brench and pressed the flashing red button; the machine read off the time and date while I tried organizing the many papers I abandoned when I got the phone call from Simon's residency early yesterday morning.

"_Hey Belle, I hope you're feeling better today. I wanted to call and let you know I won't be able to manage around the AP Chemistry prep work, I'll see if I can move things around so I can have time to visit tomorrow. Take care Bon."_

There was a long screeching beep that followed the message; I sighed in relief, the last thing I needed was for Pepper to find Marceline sleeping here with me.

Apparently she rubbed him the wrong way even though I tried defending her multiple times. He was more then happy when he found out she left but soon saw how miserable I became without her; either way he didn't like it.

_Bonni concentrate, don't forget about your work._

I looked over to my notes that were piled neatly beside my keyboard; they waited to be reviewed and entered. At first I hesitated, worrying I wouldn't be able to handle the sudden rush of sadness all over again. My lungs exhaled sharply, I prevailed through the fear, turned my attention to my desktop and pushed on the power button; the whirling buzz of my computer brought my monitor to life.

Time was no longer a concern to me; everything around me seemed irrelevant including my hunger. I transferred everything, page after page, note after note, I would stop for an occasional bathroom break then continue back to my computer. The soft clicks of my keyboard sung in my laboratory as my brain worked rigorously until the last sentence blinked unto the faint white glow of my screen.

_**The Stages of Alzheimer's Through the Life of Simon Petrikov**_

My hands came up to rub my eyes and found my fingers against the lens of my glasses.

_Geez, when did I put these on?_

I laughed as my ancient printer began spitting out the 50-page spread I've compiled over countless months. It continued its task as I left my room for a nutritious breakfast.

Before I walked over to the kitchen I took a small detour into my room and found Marci still fast asleep with her foot dangling off the side of the bed.

My smile spread across from ear to ear.

The door closed softly as I made my way into my kitchen. I set some water to boil for tea when I looked at the time.

3:23 PM

Noticing the time made me wonder when Marceline had actually fallen asleep. I thought hard and could remember waking up a few other times during the night; she was awake every time, she would say something small and then she'd help soothe me back to sleep.

The tea kettle whistled and I turned off the heat.

The deep burn in the back of my eyes faded during my silent meal. The tea did very little to hydrate the fluids I loss during all the crying I did yesterday however the tiny 'breakfast' energized my lethargic movements. After putting away my dishes I fetched a bowl of fruit for Marceline, red berries to be exact, and placed them on the nightstand beside my bed.

My eyes looked down at her gorgeous face, I wanted to kiss her but soon realized I had a report waiting patiently for my arrival. I gave out an inaudible sigh from within my chest before leaving the room.

I lifted the warm pages from the tray of my printer and tapped the thick bundle against the surface of my desk. As I slipped the pages into the 3 ring binder my mind wandered off to Simon.

About 5 months ago he was still able to talk and move around without any help. He would wander off into the snow in his blue robe suggesting the weather was perfect for an outside stroll. It took me a while to realize I had to play along to his delusional perspective of this world; personally it only seemed fair. I couldn't begin to imagine how confusing it must feel to wake up every morning not knowing who you are, where you are, what you were doing, what you're supposed to be doing, who was safe and who was dangerous.

Simon liked to call me Princess and it never made me uncomfortable, but unfortunately his raunchy talking and notions gave me a whole new perspective on him. This was something I knew he truly couldn't control.

What I loved most about him was that adorable stuffed penguin he kept tucked safely into his arms, sort of like a security blanket. He would talk to it, sing to it, even yell at it for breaking things.

"Why is Gunter always getting into trouble when I'm here Si? I asked him day after day with a giggle behind my voice.

Simon would blush and go on a ramble before he'd tell me, "He gets nervous whenever there's a pretty Princess in the house."

The same answer never got old, I genuinely laughed for him every time, "That must be it."

As the months rolled by I noticed a new pattern in his sleeping and eating habits; he was nothing but skin and bones when winter came to an end. Simon had stopped talking and 3 weeks before he passed away he was unable to swallow food without some sort of thickening agent to prevent him from choking on something as vital as water.

Seeing his brain disconnect the synapses and the response factor to his body was a heart-wrenching thing to witness. Simon wanted to talk, to move, and to use the restroom voluntarily without the help of diapers or caregivers but his mind and body were too disconnected.

I realized I took so much for granted as he decline before my eyes.

Everyday, no matter how late it was, I brought myself to see Simon. Yesterday was the last day I was able to visit; the doctors called me around 4 in the morning to tell me his time was almost here. Pep was nice enough to arrange something with the Attendance office and he canceled all my Student Body meetings I had planned for the day.

When I arrived he had been sleeping for over 12 hours. His body was so fragile and light I could easily help him switch his sleeping position to prevent any possible bedsores. He breathing was faint and it had an unpleasant gurgle; my hand held onto his boney hands praying for some warming comfort in the cold empty bedroom.

My heart broke in two as I watched the last weak breath escape his mouth; its absence permitted his chest to fall quietly.

Nothing.

There was absolutely _nothing_ I could have done to help him.

"I'm so sorry Si, she should have been here with us." I kissed him goodbye and bid farewell to Marci's grandfather; her best friend, "By the way, you were right, you somehow managed to get this Princess to fall in love with you."

It was hard to break away from everything that had happened, there was no way to reach Marceline so I had to inform Hunson. I sent him a letter since he was away from his office until noon. At some point during the morning I went to school hoping I could make it to my Student Body class but Pepper took one look at me and sent me home.

There was nowhere to go, no one to turn to; I felt lost and out of place. I needed Marceline there with me.

Again I was in a haze, I got home, threw down everything at the front entrance of my house and dragged myself into my bed. Hours felt like minutes as I just lay there not knowing what to do with myself.

I heard the door open and close, Pepper called for me and pretty soon I saw the interior lights turn on from the bottom of my door…

A pair of cold lips kissed the back of my neck and a stray hand reached under my shirt to take hold of my bare breast. I was brought back into reality with Marceline's not so subtle affection. I wasn't ready to turn around and kiss her just yet, there were still tears in my eyes and I didn't want her to worry.

She proceeded until she got her fill, "Good morning beautiful, thanks for the berries."

"Good _afternoon_ vampire." I squeezed my eyes shut hoping all the tears were dried away, " And you're welcome… When did you finally go to sleep?"

"Are you crying?"

I opened my eyes and found myself staring into those lovely grey eyes; there was a tangled wavy mess of black hair on Marci's head and the frown she gave just killed me, "Bonni please don't cry."

"Marci, I... I wanted you to have this." I gave her the binder and she took it with puzzled look on her face, "I was crying because in the midst of putting this together I just got a little overwhelmed. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

Her hand opened the black hard cover and her eyes seemed to get a little more distressed after every page she turned. She didn't get very far into the report before she decided she had had enough. Marci reached into my hand and urged me to follow her unto my loveseat.

We took our seats before she began, "You were really there everyday weren't you? Just like you said in your letters." She leaned her head against my shoulder.

I could feel myself about to cry but instead I took a couple of deep breaths before I could even say a word.

"Yes."

"Thank you Bonni. You have no idea how much that means to me." Marci gave out a large sigh and moved closer to me.

"Of course I do. Marci I did it because…" I pulled her head away from my shoulder and forced her to look at me, "Because I love you Marceline. Simon meant the world to you so he meant the world to me too."

There was little control over my emotions I tried my hardest not to cry but once again I was left in a pathetic teary mess; this time she was there to hold me and tell me things will only get better. She knew, long before I did, how things were going to map out for Simon; how rapid everything would happened and she was prepared for it but I wasn't anywhere ready to experience the loneliest way of… dying.

"Please sing me something. You always knew what to sing to me when I was sad." I lifted my head and watched the red flush grow on her cheeks.

Marci pushed the side of her fist against her mouth and cleared her throat,

"_Don't cry._

_You can rely on me honey,_

_You can come by any time you want._

_I'll be around._

_You were right about the stars,_

_Each one is a setting sun._

_Tall buildings shake,_

_Voices escape singing sad sad songs._

_Tuned to chords_

_Strung down your cheeks,_

_Bitter melodies turning your orbit around._

_Our love,_

_Our love,_

_Our love is all we have."_

Her singing definitely helped put us both at ease, "I like when your songs don't rhyme, they sound so poetic." I buried myself in her arms, "I missed the sound of your voice."

She accepted me into her embrace, "Out of my many great qualities you chose to miss my voice?" her teasing was also something I missed but I'd never let her know that.

"Oh yeah, well what did you miss most about me?"

"That's easy! The sweet taste of your lips when we kiss." She pulled me in so our lips could meet; my heart gave a light flutter.

When she finally pulled away she gave me her infamous half smile; I was blushing, "I thought you didn't like sweet things."

"Yeah, but to me, you're just the perfect amount of sweetness. I can handle it." Marci winked over at me.

Everything started to fit back into place, I was even able to tease her back, "Glob Marci you're so cheesy." My eyes rolled playfully at her.

"Hey cut me some slack, it's been a while. I feel like this is our first date all over again." She placed her forehead against mine and I watched as her eyes looked seductively into my hazel gems.

She made teasing her too easy, especially when all she could do was wrap her mind around was my body.

"Yeah, you cried and snored, just like our first date."

"For the last time I don't snore!" She pushed me down onto the couch mounting over me; Marci was smiling and full of life, just like I remembered her.

I gave into her dominating lust, my body was reacting to her actions and she could tell just by my body language.

"Do you want to know what I really _really_ missed about you?

"Oh so it's not my singing?" One of her eyebrows lifted and waited for me to answer.

I shook my head and I could feel the blush rushing to my face again. I pulled her head closer to me so I could whisper it softly and as seductively as I could into her ear.

"I missed the way you bite me."

.

**Marci's POV**

There were too many unfamiliar faces in the sea of people crowding over the entrance of the limestone church. It was too loud and crowded; I felt my body go stiff in response.

"Are you sure this is where we're supposed to be?" I grumbled under my breath.

"You're Dad said chapel 6," Bonni's pretty eyes looked over at me. She was probably wondering if I was going to back out. "Are you okay Marci?"

"I don't think I can do this. I don't know anyone here." I started backing away from the building while shaking my head.

"You know me, your Dad and Simon." Her hand reached for mine hoping to stop my compulsive reaction to fear, "You can do this."

I snatched my hand away before her warmth could convince me otherwise, "No, I can't."

My body reacted faster then my mind. The soft feel of the grassy knolls underneath me made my running feel effortless. There were too many things going through my head I couldn't decide where exactly I was running until I came to a dead end.

Tall black iron bars that closed away the living, busy, cruel world greeted me with their power. Nearby trees provided shade from the blazing sun and I turned around trying to figure out where I was; then I realized I was completely alone.

_Why the hell do I always run away?_

I stood there alone hating myself for a while. My heart was racing and my breathing was so hard it was hurting my lungs. After a whole day of having Bonnibel to myself I had to pull together some strength to read her report in full. Six months worth of letters, diary entries, notes, research, were all in a binder; they were all about Simon.

My attention was focused on the strong body of an inviting willow tree. It's branches and leaves weren't thick enough to hide me away but they were enough to secure me. I walked over, pushed passed the curtain of tine green pedals and sat against the rough brown bark.

I closed my eyes trying to keep my head together; a near by stream babbled away as I clutched the cool wet grass beside the gentle giant's roots. My head hit the trunk a little harder then I anticipated so I applied pressure against my already hurting head.

_Bonni is going to lose her patience with me. I can't believe, after all this, she still loves me._

"Maaarci?"

My eyes opened to the despriate cry and saw Bonni standing, searching for me on a little hill. She walked a little closer, turned her head and spotted me in my enclosed plant cave.

Her beautiful flowing hair and her salmon colored sundress were being pushed to the side by the wind as she approached me. She looked so amazing that I couldn't help but be completely in awe.

I noticed her mouth had opened a little to say something but instead she pressed her lips back together and stood over me. Her feet were place on the outer side of my legs and she knelt before she sat herself entirely on my lap. Bonni tilted her head to the side; she had a smile that was formed by her worrying.

The only thing I wanted was for her to hold me. Either she took the hint or she knows me too well because she placed her hands around my head and permitted me to take comfort in her chest. My arms wrapped around her waist feeling the softness of the cotton dress she wore.

We sat beneath the willow tree hearing the wind rustle the tiny leaves into a calming rattle. Neither of us said a word.

There was a low chime coming from a tall tower; it had the face of a clock underneath a massive bell. Right on cue we saw the crowd of people exiting the church where we had originally began.

My eyes followed the black casket as six burly men walked it over to its' new home. Someone gave a few words and then Simon was lowered into 6 feet of freshly dug up Earth. The shovels scooped up a heaping amount of dirt then were lowered into the hole; the same repetitive motions continued until the hole was full and they placed down a large rectangular black stone.

At first two-thirds of the strangers disappeared, then groups of 3 to 4 people followed behind until one person was left standing over the grave.

Her voice brought me back to tranquility of our setting, "I know it's hard Marceline, but that's why I'm here." She kissed me on the cheek before she softly added, "I'll always be here."

"What do I tell him? Sorry for abandoning you?"

"Marci please don't say that. Tell him you love him, you'll always remember him, or just sing to him. You were right about him really liking music." She smiled pass her sadden look.

I let myself cry and laughed at her last sentence, "Yeah, he did."

"Come on. We can do this together." Bonni stood up and pressed down the skirt of her dress. I followed her lead and I trailed behind her as she walked over to Simon.

The closer we got to the grave I began noticing the familiar figure that stayed behind.

"Marceline, you were able to make it." His voice sparked happiness through his frown.

There was a little bit of uncertainty in my mind; he saw me with Em a couple of days ago and now I show up with Bonnibel. To top it off I was a horrible crying mess.

_Geez I'm just setting myself up for this one._

I wiped off the tears with the sleeve of my midnight blue dress shirt and did my best not to sound weak in front of my father.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you myself Marceline. When I received Bonnibel's letter I thought it was only fair that you got to see it for yourself." My Dad put his hand on my shoulder, "No hard feeling right?"

"No Dad it's fine, thank you for doing that."

He smiled; I knew he just loved me and was trying to do the right thing, "I'll leave you girls alone. You two are more then welcome over to the house if you aren't doing anything."

"Okay, thanks Dad." I could feel the tears come up.

There was so much regret from our relationship; we both knew we should have fixed that a long time my Dad leave I thought I heard him give out a sniffle.

Bonni make her way to the little black granite stone where Simon's full name was engraved with silver letters. She ran the tips of her fingers over the writing and gave out a large sigh.

"Hey Simon your Princess is here. I just wanted to let you know that the time I spent learning about you and falling in love with you were the best memories I'll always treasure. Your stories were awesome and you always made me laugh when you tried to play drums with your silverware and the dining table." Bonni sobbed loudly, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, but I promise you I will find a away to help others like you. You can do anything with science you know, so I'm doing this for you."

See this is why I love Bonnibel so much; she's just so passionate about her life as a whole. Science, finding answers, Simon… and me, I knew she was dedicating her work to Si, but I know she also doing it for my love.

Bonni stood up and walked over to me with her head hung down. Her hand pushed her tears and she didn't say a word to me. It was my turn.

I reached for her hand for some moral support; she held it for a while and finally looked up to give me some strength. She released me and I found my way to Simon. The small mound of dirt sunk in easily as I walked on it, I stepped back realizing I was walking right over him.

"I'm sorry Si," I tucked my chin toward my chest, "for so much…"

It felt weird talking with no one there to respond but I could see him in my mind, with the crazy smile and his favorite blue robe on. His white beard moved as the wind pushed my black hair away from my eye. The image I saw wasn't real but my heart didn't need to know that.

"I'm sorry for running away again, I know you always hated that about me. You'd always be so worried when I'd come back."

Simon just stood there smiling.

"I know I fuck things up a lot, but I'm trying to get bett…"

_Marceline don't talk like that about yourself._

I heard his voice clear as day but when I opened my eyes I had forgotten I was at the cemetery for his funeral. The only way back to him was in my mind; I inhaled deeply for my last encounter with my grandfather.

"Sorry," I whispered, and shut my eyes so I could see him once more, "I just wish I could have been here for you like you were here for me when Dad left."

_I know but life happens and sometimes we get pushed off unto the wrong track. Lucky for you, you have someone here to help you when you feel like straying away. Don't worry about me Marceline, I lived a happy life, heck I taught you music and I got you to talk to me. You have no idea how great it felt to rub that into your dad's face._

In my mind he came over to me, laughing away, and knelt down to my four year old self defeated in my owe tears.

_There there Marceline, you have to understand that people die but they continue to live on with the people they loved in here._

He pushed his long skinny finger into my heart; the same heart I swore stopped beating when my mom died.

_You're strong, arrogant, but assertive. You'll overcome this and when you do I'll be so proud. Continue doing the things you love and never forget those whose love you most. Remember, love never fails Marceline._

"Thanks Si… for everything." I let the remaining tears roll away and his image waved goodbye to me.

I came back into my world at peace with my soul and body. I exhaled deeply and suddenly the aches and pains I felt in my heart lifted away into the beautiful spring day I shared with the dead.

"Marci?" Bonni's voice surprised me as her hand slipped it into mine; I squeezed her delicate fingers trying to give her the sign that I was okay.

"…Yeah?"

"What do you think happens when we die?" Her grip became overwhelmed with uncertainty.

"Honestly?" I pulled her into my arms and kissed her temples; her head leaned against my kiss and she gave me a little nod, "I think we just die. Sure It happens differently for everyone, but ultimately I believe nothing happens afterwards. The ones we love keep us alive through memories and until the very last memory of you is forgotten its like you never existed in this world."

"That's so sad Marceline," She pulled away and looked at me.

The corner of my mouth rose up, "I'm sorry but you asked."

"Hmm, you're right," Bonni put her head against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck, "I guess we're just going to force our kids to listen to our stories about Simon."

_Our what?_

I pulled her away gently and found her eyes purposely looking away with her cheeks pinker then I've ever seen them. My finger pulled her chin so her eyes were on me; she smiled and I could feel my breathing slow down to almost nothing. Bonni pulled me closer and pressed her lips against mine.


	16. Pink Bullets

**Chapter 16:**

**Pink Bullets**

**Marci's POV**

"You should try and eat some more Mar-Mar."

"Dad…" I groaned in embarrassment. Out of all the names he called me, that's the one that tipped me over. To make matters worse Bonni was sitting beside me giggling away at my humiliated expression.

It was pretty obvious by now that I was blushing, "I'm not that hungry, you know, big day with the funeral and all."

"Alright, I'll stop pestering you. You know I just worry." My Dad came over and landed his hand on my shoulder before he took our plates into his kitchen.

My elbows propped up on the dinning table and my head buried itself into my hands.

"It looks like you've made progress with your Dad." Bonnibel's tender kiss on my cheek brushed away the light flush. Her hands slipped into my lap and they were giving me the welcoming signs of doing what she loved the most with me. Honestly, after today, I just didn't have the energy to do _that_.

My hands stopped her from going any further and I just held them intertwining our fingers together, "Yeah, it's been awkwardly nice to have him like this."

I turned my head to look at her; she had the smuggest look I've ever seen on her pretty pink face.

"…What?" I asked uncertainly.

"I hate to say it… but I told you so." Bonni's hand pulled away and tangled itself into my hair.

_Geez this girl._

My eyes rolled to the back of my head; I could hear my Dad reentered the dinning room. I let my eyes ventured away from Bonni's seductive touch and landed on my dad's coal black eyes. He caught glimpse of our little moment and redirected himself into the library.

Hunson found out that Bonni and I broke up when she went and asked him for my address and now, only days after he saw me getting all raunchy with Em back at my cabin, we were back together.

_Glob my Dad probably thinks I'm some kind of tramp._

That was the first time I thought about her this whole weekend. Now I couldn't stop myself from thinking about Ember no matter how hard I tired. There was a small pain in my gut as I remembered leaving her behind without saying anything. She was just as freaked out as I was when I decided to disappear.

_I wouldn't doubt that she's incredibly pissed off at me. _

"Are you okay?" Bonni's voice broke me from my Ember space out.

"Oh, uhh, yeah… I just spaced out." Bonni looked at me like she just caught me in some lie, "We should get going since it's a school night."

Eventually she followed me into the old library where my Dad was reading "The Origin of Species" By Darwin on his beat-up recliner. I've seen him read that book a million times when I was younger. It was actually one of my favorite books; I'm not much of a bookworm, since most things I read are graphic novels about psychopaths or zombies, but that book was something else.

"You enjoy Charles Darwin's theory of evolution Mr. Abadeer?" Bonni's stunning eyes caught the title of the book and I could tell she had read it before too; why wouldn't she? It's all geeked out with _theories _and _observations_.

"It's fascinating to see the evolution of the human mind on its own. This book is filled with numerous flaws; however it considerably one of the greatest achievements in the history of man-kind." My Dad closed the book and set it gently on his lap; he looked over at Bonni who was returning the gaze.

I could tell she was loving this conversation with my Dad, "Yes, it's a very controversial book. Widely known and constantly being debated over."

"You're quiet sharp for you're age," My old man was genuinely surprised with Bonnibel's response, "What is it that drives your passion in such knowledge?"

_Oh glob, not this… not right now._

"I've enjoyed Darwin's work ever since I was 5, but what I'm really interested in is Organometallic Chemistry and Quantum Mechanics."

"Impressive…" Hunson was about to take this to a whole new level and I wasn't going to sit here bored out of my wits to witness it happen.

"Uh, I don't mean to burst the nerd bubble you guys are sharing" I butted in trying to stop my Dad with that as his last statement, "but Bonni could sit here for days just talking about science," I turned my attention and faced Bonni, "And my dad will eventually make this 'small chat' into a debate and trust me he'll win; he's a lawyer."

"Hey, that's not fair. Bonnibel sounds like a very worthy opponent." He was trying to lure her in with his sly talk like a little bug to a Venus flytrap.

_Not on my watch…_

"Noooo! Not tonight!" I whined; Bonni held my hand and I just rolled my eyes. There was no way they were going to make me sit through hours of arguing; pointless, opinionative bickering.

My dad gave his usual creepy chuckle and stood up from his lounging position. "Alright, maybe some other time then."

We said our goodbyes to my Dad. Bonni thanked him for the invite and I promised to visit the next time I was in town; which would probably be every weekend now that Bonni and I were a couple again.

When we finally made it to her house and I got out to open the door for her; we stood there beside my car kissing until we were out of breath. She came up for a gasp of air and returned to our passionate lip lock and began tugging at my hips.

A smile pressed again my lips while we kissed; there wasn't time for that but this girl was persistent. I had to pull away from her and those amazing hazel eyes blinked back in disappointment.

"I'm sorry Bonni, I gotta go. It's getting late."

"Do you really have to go?" Bonnibel's beautiful eyes begged me to say no.

"Yes, we both have class tomorrow." I kissed her on the forehead with both my hands wrapped behind her head.

She gave me a pout and grumbled, "Since when do you care about school?"

"Since when did you stop caring about my 'lack of school involvement'" I mentioned the familiar phrase to remind her of all those times she'd force me to "participate" and "engage" myself in school.

She looked back at me defeated in her own battle, "Fine, but when can I see you again?"

"Next weekend, I promise" I slid into the drivers seat and buckled the seatbelt securely across my chest, "I need to talk to you about some things."

"Just stay and talk to me now" Bonni closed the door for me and leaned inside for a kiss.

"I wish I could, honest, but it's a fo…"

"Four hour drive I know," She finished my sentence, "Can you tell me what we need to talk about at least?"

I put my hands against the steering wheel and shook my head; in return she gave me a saddened look.

"I'm sorry to leave you like this," I finally leaned in for the kiss she waited patiently for, "but I really need to get home."

She nodded, "Please drive safe" Her smile warmed my heart as she backed away from the side of my car.

My car gave out an awaking groan and I looked over to see Bonni walking away in her charming sundress from the funeral. I stuck my head out the window and honked my horn; the sudden loud beep made her jump up in fright.

Out of reaction I laughed, "Hahaha, I love you."

She didn't mind my light taunt, "I love you too. Come back to me soon okay?"

I nodded as I drove away from the hectic city life I've learned not to miss. A thin layer of fog rolled in; by time my tiny car left the highway and unto the steep incline up the mountain I escaped the now dense cloud. I looked in my rear view mirror to see the thick mist hide away the glow from the city skyline.

As I took the longest drive of my life I allowed my mind, as well as my heart, to released the many questions and emotions I had yet to understand myself.

_What am I going to tell Ember when I get back?_

Right as I asked myself that question my head began to spin; I pulled over the car and got out to puke out the little amount of dinner I ate at my Dad's house. I wiped the side of my mouth hoping I didn't leave anything behind on my face.

First things first, I had to tell Em the truth about everything that happened but I was still struggling to figure out if I should do the same with Bonni.

_Glob do I tell Bonni about Ember?_

Of course my head had to butt in and argue that what I had with Ember was nothing more then a pity relationship, not even a relationship, just a sad sorry excuse to kiss someone. I could feel my stomach churn again, I was using Ember, and even though she said it was okay, it just didn't settle over well with me.

I felt evil.

Once again my head fought hard against my emotions, sure I wasn't technically with Bonni, but she tends to overreact to small shit like this. My head kept throbbing and my mouth felt warm as the sensation of nausea grew in my gut. There was more control over it since my stomach gave up everything on the side of the road.

I reentered my car and continued the drive. To tell you the truth by this time I felt like a lousy piece of shit; not just because I was feeling sick to my stomach but having to be in this weird situation. I fought myself the entire four hours of my drive. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was better for me to tell them both the truth.

_Glob Em's going to hate me after tonight._

_She's your friend, she'll understand. You told her you'd always love Bonnibel._

_Yeah, but I was so close to giving up on her and I went crawling back so easily. I have no idea how she's going to react and it actually matters to me; she's the only friend I have right now and I would have gone with her if this weekend never happened…_

The words stung deep; _did I really just admit that to myself_? Even though we agreed that being together would have cause some huge drama between our Dads, and she would probably be taken away from me, I…I undoubtedly wanted her. I cursed out loud in the car since no one else was there to hear my self-hatred.

_There's something not right with me. _

I couldn't admit these feelings for Em, it would just screw her over, maybe it would drive her away, and to top it off she didn't like girls. She made that _very_ clear to me. Even being friends with them was unusual to her but I was that exception; maybe I just liked the pitiful attention she gave me…

Before the night got any later I made a quick change in my destination and drove into the direction of Ember's high school. There was a parking space not too far off from the broken off fence near her dormitory. She's snuck out of here plenty of times to meet up with me but not once have I ever had to sneak_ into_ school and find her.

My eyes shut tight as I tried remembered the dorm house she lived it but more importantly which room. I approached the broken links and pulled open the light sheet of metal. It fell down and made a loud clunk; I jumped into a nearby bush until I felt no one was around hear my noisy entrance.

I recall her telling me that each class had their own house, her dorm house was brown for sure but in the dark everything looked like a single color. It especially didn't help while the moon was in its new moon phase; I could really use the light right about now.

As I snuck close to the closest dormitory I realized it had a sign stating their classes.

"Sophomore Dorms… so the Freshmen Dorms have to be nearby" I whispered quietly to myself as I slid against the wall trying to remain undetected. When I finally reached the right house I instantly remembered that her dorm was on the first floor facing the field and forest. My feet sunk in about a half-inch into the gloppy mud as I walked around the building.

After 10 minutes of intensely using my brainpower my finger tapped the glass I swore was her bedroom window. I crouched down to make sure I wasn't spotted in case I had made a mistake.

Nothing.

I tapped the glass one more time and before I could squat down to my stance the curtain was thrown back and I saw Em's sleepy golden eyes looking right at me. They went wide in surprise but quickly adjusted into the pure frustration she saved patiently for me.

"WHAT THE FUCK" She mutely mouthed at me trying not to wake her sleeping roommate.

I silently mouthed back, "PLEEEASE COME OUT" I pressed my hands together like I was begging her. My lips gave her an unsure smile in hopes that she wouldn't hate me for the rest of our lives.

Ember rolled her eyes and threw the curtain back over the window. I leaned against the side of her dorm waiting for her appearance. She finally made it out with an orange pull over sweater and auburn colored pajama pants, "Where the hell have you been? I was so worried!" She quietly yelled at me with her hands clutched into tight fists against her sides.

Her yelling took me back a little; the words I originally wanted to say were completely erased from my memory. "Hey Em." was all I could utter to the incredibly dazzling girl in her pajamas.

"Hey Em? That's all you have to say to me is 'Hey Em'?" She punched me square on the side of my arm. Her eyes fought back tears but soon released them when she pushed herself into my arms, "You're a jerk you know that right?"

The sound of her crying was the first thing I processed while she clung ruthlessly onto me. I wanted to reach over and rub the throbbing muscle but I knew I deserved that hit. Instead I involuntarily began to chuckle at the pain; that only made her get more heated.

"Stop laughing this isn't funny Marceline," Em pulled away with the tears still in her eyes, "You looked so freak out and you never came back, you… I… UGH! I hate you."

"Hey! Damn, calm down. I'm sorry for laughing, but you got a pretty good punch in... It really hurts." I was able to massage the weaken arm, "Come on let me explain everything to you in the car."

Her exhale was kind of scary, "Fine"

With that she followed behind me until we reached my car. We both settled in and I turned on the heat for her.

I let go of a rather large sigh, "I had to go back home because my grandpa died. Today was his funeral."

Ember looked right at me; her angered face was washed away with pure sincerity, "Oh glob Marci, I'm so sorry, I had no idea… a-are you okay?"

"The wounds are still fresh, but it's getting easier, thanks." The corner of my mouth lifted and then quickly dropped.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say, except that I feel horrible for being mad at you just now." Her burgundy hair covered her eyes as she hung her head slightly.

"Don't worry about it Em, you said it yourself, you had no idea." I wanted her to at least be happy with my return.

She didn't reply all she could do was take the truth in and let it mend her unexpected sadness.

This was it, I had to tell her now before it got harder, "I umm…"

Ember looked up at me because I never finished the sentence; her golden eyes stared at me perplexed and she lifted an eyebrow. Before I could say anything I released another sigh and put together the words in my head.

"While I was there I made up with Bonnibel"

My eyes stayed on hers trying to figure out what her reaction was going to be. She gave me nothing to go off of; instead her face was quite emotionless at this point. I saw her hands playing around with her fingers as she moved them together on her lap. Her attention soon moved away from me to the pitch-black sky outside.

The softness in her voice almost went undetected; "You didn't tell her about us, did you?"

"I haven't had a chance to tal…"

"Don't do it." This time she spoke up loud and clear.

"What?"

"Don't do it," Em forced her yellow eyes on me, "It's not worth it Marci. You've come so far…what if she breaks up with you if you tell her about me?"

I was very shocked to say the least. In the back of my head I didn't think the little runt had it in her to understand how bad this whole thing might turn out. I could feel myself smiling at the fact that she wanted to protect _me_.

"Wait, you'd be okay if I didn't say something to her?" I asked still a little confused.

"Yeah. We just kissed…it wasn't a big deal."

"Ouch. That's kinda harsh." I forced an antagonizing expression on my face so I could worry her.

Her cheeks rushed with blood, "I-i didn't mean it like that."

Now there was a small smirk pressed against my face, "I know. I was just kidding." Her eyebrows clashed together while her cheeks blushed feverishly, "Em, I have to tell Bonni. I'd feel like I'm lying to her in some weird indirect way."

_Yeah, and as long as I keep my mouth shut and never mention the dead feelings I once felt for you we can still be friends._

A sniffle broke our silence as I saw her nod. I forced myself in front of her direction and saw the tears stream down her cheeks, "You don't think she'll tell anyone right?"

_Is she's still scared about her Dad?_

"Hey, come here" I wrapped my arms around her and she only wept harder, "It's okay Em, I'll make sure she won't say anything… I'm not going to leave you and your Dad sure as hell isn't taking you away from me." She took comfort in my words.

I scoffed in the most soothing way possible, "You won't be alone."

Ember changed the mood almost instantly, "You know I don't like her right? She's the one that jacked you up…She just better not do it again" Her anger wasn't too convincing while she continued her crying.

"Threatening my girl already? I didn't think you'd be the jealous type" I teased her hoping it would make her happy.

Ember pulled away from my consoling hold, "Wha…I…I'm not…"

Her cheeks turned a stunning red-orange color, "Fine so I'm a little jealous, but seriously, if she breaks your heart again I'll hurt her." She huffed out crossing her arms.

My lips gave way to a light chuckle and this time she landed another strong punch on the opposite arm, "Oww, okay, okay. Glob, don't beat her up" I took hold of the burning, aching muscle, "you hit pretty hard"

We both slouched back into our seats laughing. Another half hour passed by and we eventually had to bid our farewells. I walked her back to her dorm and after she gave me the last hug for the night she mentioned something else I had forgotten about.

"I put your letters in your room since you just left them on the floor." Her hand tucked a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear; "They would have gotten all wet from the rain."

"Did you have time to read them?" Shortly after asking I realized it was a stupid question; she would have known about Simon if she did.

Em looked at me with such a horrified look, "No dude! I would never do that… If you ever go through my personal stuff I'll kill you." She stood there with her arms criss crossed on her chest and her crazy cute smile; "best friends don't do that to each other, psycho." The last sentence was said in a matter-of-fact tone.

I smiled back hearing her call me her 'best-friend'; at least that feeling was mutual, "You're such a softy. Thanks for respecting my personal bizz" My hand pushed her shoulder lightly and she stuck her tongue out at me before we said goodbye.

"Bye Marci"

"Bye Em" With that I vanished from the high school just like I mysteriously appeared.

When I got home I pulled Axel from the trunk of my car and went into Simon's cabin; well my cabin. The locks tumbled as the key turned; a low clank emerged and permitted me to enter my house. I pushed the door open into my darken abode and turned on the lights; the loneliness was extremely welcoming.

All I've wanted to do today was return home and write music with Axel. I hung him down my back so I could get my lyric journal and my recording equipment ready. Once everything was set up for my old friend and I we plopped ourselves on my couch. I began strumming away on an old familiar opening tune.

It was a song that Jake and I loved to play together; the bass and the electric in this song were meant to go hand in hand. The funky riffs from my axe and the shrilling wails Jake's electric made me feel like our instruments made love; it's a weird analogy, I know, but Jay always agreed with me.

It was the first song we ever played together and Finn even joined in when we mastered the full song. This was way before B and Nep joined our little garage band and it was just the three of us.

Thinking about my band made me miss them terribly; I could only hope they didn't replace me.

"I'll go pay everyone a visit next week," I told myself before I plugged in my equipment; I strummed Axel's new nickel strings and the droning bass sound rattled a nearby glass cup. "I miss those bozos."

The stiff record button of Si's antique portable recorder gave out a sharp click as my finger pressed it down. I had so much to write and sing about…

_Glob, where do I even begin?_

.

**Ember's POV**

My stride slowed down as I heard the beautiful strumming of music. I wanted to catch Marci before she headed back to the city… it's a good thing I didn't miss her. Her red car was still parked in the driveway. My ears followed the gentle ripples from the guitar and lead me into her back yard.

Marci's long jet-black hair was covered by the purple hood of her jacket. Her head bobbed up and down as she strummed and slapped the metal strings. She sat contently on an old tree stump with her back facing me.

"Marceline?" I called to her but she never responded. It was loud enough to make a nearby bird fly away from a tree but she couldn't hear me.

As I advanced toward her I noticed the white thin cord of headphones traveling from her lavender pocket into the inside of her hoodie. It was quite peaceful seeing her completely sulk herself to her music especially with the relaxing sight of the scenery she shared with the mountain.

Suddenly it hit me.

_I can finally get her back for scaring me all those times._

My movements were carefully planned and calm; there was no way I was going to ruin this perfect opportunity but I had no clue how I was going to scare the crap out of her. I circled around her and noticed her eyes were shut tightly, her teeth bit a corner of her lip and she was humming a melody.

_This was it._

The cold feel of her cheek against my burning lips definitely got her attention. Marci didn't know what hit her; she jumped up and somehow managed to trip backwards on the old stump causing her to fall flat on her back. Her eyes were bewildered and the bass guitar went crashing onto her chest.

This was the first time I've ever seen Marceline scared out of her wits. I couldn't hold back the laughter as her mind accepted the fright; a bright red blush rushed to her cheeks as she pulled off the headphones.

"Ha Ha. Very funny punk." She said rather loudly; her hearing was still adjusting from the music blaring in her ears. The blush settled down and her voice was a little bit softer; Marci was trying her best to sound calm and smooth, "What's up?"

My gut still hurt from the prolonged laughing, "I… hahahaha… I… wanted to ask you for… a favor." It was hard to talk through the snickering and my constant gasp for air.

"Keep laughing and I'll just say no." She used her hands to prop herself up; they brushed off the debris from her jacket and pulled down her hood. Her eyes gave me an angry stare but it didn't stop me from enjoying the satisfaction of scaring her; in fact it just made it worse.

"I'm sorry," I wiped away an invisible tear, "You should have seen your face, hehehe." I let a giggle escape making Marci roll her eyes and shake her head at me.

"Glob, you're never going to let me forget this, huh?"

This time I shook my head still unable to answer because of the chuckle waiting to burst pass my lips. A smirk remained on my face until I felt I could control myself.

My breathing was composed before I continued; "Alright, I'm done. Honest. About that favor…"

"Pffft, what favor? I'm not doing anything for you. Not after that." She gave me an evil grin.

I walked over to her and took a seat beside my friend, "PLEEEEEASE! I'm sorry. Hey, you always scare _me_ and I never hold a grudge." I nudged her arm a few times hoping she'd forgive me.

"Fine, I guess you're right." She shrugged like the whole thing didn't bother her, "So what's this little dirt deed you want me to do?"

"Umm…" I hesitated at the fact that she called it a 'dirty deed'; this was the first time I was going to admit to something I kept from her, "I wanted you to say 'Hi' to someone for me."

"You're making me play messenger pigeon with someone?" Marci looked at me with such confusion, "Go do it yourself, _chicken_." She smiled knowing she pushed my buttons.

"I'm not a chicken! I can't do it myself 'cause I have Dance rehearsal today and you're going to see this person anyways…" I could feel my blood rushing to my face in anger but more so in embarrassment.

"Ugh, fine, and who am I saying '_Hi'_ to?" She emphasized the Hi so she could sound like a higher pitched version of me.

I just sat there taking her mockery; mumbling I answered her, "Finn"

Marceline smug grin turned into a full-fledged taunting smile, "FINN! AHAHA! No way… You still have the hots for him?"

This time she went into an all out laugh attack that didn't help my already pissed off reaction to her teasing.

"Dude shut…"

Her laughing was obnoxious, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

"Marceline stop…"

It was annoying, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

"MARCI!"

From my sitting position I tackled her unto the floor but she remained unfazed; she continued laughing at me hysterically. Out of pure anger I crashed our lips together eagerly waiting for her to shut the fuck up. I felt her lips moving, not because she was kissing me back, but because she was trying to say something.

Her hands came to my waist and slid me off to her side; she shot out from under me and sat up, "Wait Bonni it's not was it looks like!"

_Bonni? Wait… was she trying to mess with me?_

After my knees hit the cushioned Earth and I caught my balance, I looked over my shoulder and found myself staring at Bonni. Her jaw hung open and her face stayed a deep red. She stood there frozen in her steps just staring at us…no, staring at _me_.

Marceline gently tossed her guitar beside me unto the floor and stumbled as she pushed herself from the ground. She caught her footing and made her way to Bonni.

I instantly saw Bonnibel's shocked sadden expression go into an insane fury. She stormed away before Marci could approach her.

Eventually Marceline caught up and grabbed her by the wrist. "Bonni please wait!"

"Get your hands off me Marceline" Bonni turned around trying to escape the strong grasp with her free hand. She tried pulling away, shoving her and even hitting Marci on her shoulders but Marceline never let up. Until that same hand swiped across her cheek and made her grimaced in pain. The sound was so loud I cringed for my dear friend.

Marci gained composer through the pain; her hand was holding her redden cheek, "Please listen, it's not what it looks like!"

"Really Marceline? I just saw you kissing someone else, how in the hell are you going to justify that?" From the small distance we shared I could tell her voice was choppy from what I could only imagine were tears.

"We weren't kissing! She wa…" Marci was slapped before she could even finish her sentence.

"Don't fucking lie to me!"

I understand that this whole thing looked bad on both of our parts, and I understand that Bonni was pissed off beyond belief, but that last hit was completely uncalled for.

Bonnibel took off fuming in anger and left Marci behind embracing the added pain to her already hurting face. Seeing this made me lose it; my anger finally got the best of me and I chased her down before she could leave our sight. I did this knowing I could probably make things worse but there was no way I was going to continue watch this unfold in front of me.

_This is my fucking fault and I'm the one who has to fix it._

I couldn't help but feel bad for seeing this unravel. There was no way I was going to let this happen; this was all my fucking fault.

I eventually caught up to her and grabbed her by the forearm. Bonnibel started to holler not knowing it was me that caught her.

"Marceline leave me alon…" She turned and unexpectedly faced me. I saw her troubled eyes go into complete wrath, "Don't touch me!" She tried pulling away and failed, "I can't…I…Why_ you_?"

Damn that was cruel; I bit my tongue knowing it was for the better. Bonni used her free hand to release herself from my clutch. Soon after both her hands were at my shoulders as she shoved me back; out of pure instinct I pushed back.

Unfortunately she wasn't able to hold her balance as well as I did.

She fell to the floor and looked up at me with an unsettling glare, "What's wrong with you?!"

"Em stop!" Marci's cry forced me to gain composer; she approached us the moment I tossed Bonni to the unforgiving floor.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you_? You're the one who pushed _me_!"

Our stare remained unbroken as Marceline butted in, "Bonni please let us explain" She walked over to Bonnibel with her hand reached out; she instantly refused the help.

The pink haired girl stood up and continued staring me down, "Explain? Alright Marceline, explain _that_ to me" Her finger pointed directly at me; straight to the side of my neck.

_Marci's mark…_

I brought up my hand to cover the mark with my fingers. There was a small wave of embarrassment that rushed through me; I wasn't proud of the hickey, actually, I hated it.

My voice was weakened, "This happened befo…"

"I wasn't talking to you," She snapped back at me.

This whole situation was a big horrible mess and I knew it was my fault. I tried my best to keep myself clam throughout all of this but she was seriously pissing me off with all her back talk. Something snapped inside me and again I couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Glob dude you're the worse! We're trying to explain this huge misunderstanding but you keep barking back at us. So why don't you shut up and listen for a change you self centered bitch!" I pointed to the mark on my neck, "This happened before you two made up. That kiss you just saw, that was all _me_, Marceline had nothing to do with it so don't blame her for that!" My teeth clenched together so hard I could feel my jaw line getting sore. I noticed my breathing was uneven as I stood there burning in pure rage.

"I don't believe you." She whispered in a deep growl.

_That was it? That was all she was going to fucking say?_

This girl was unbelievable she just angered me to my core, "I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE IN ME BONNIBEL! JUST BELIEVE IN MARCELINE!" I let out a few short spurts of air, "She wouldn't lie to you!"

My attention was turned to Marceline; she had stayed quiet throughout my yelling. That was it, my screaming always made her back off, I can't believe I didn't think of that before.

_Crap_.

There was a giant pit forming in the center of my stomach, "I'm so sorry for doing that Marci. You just wouldn't shut up… and I… I had no right to do that…"

"It's fine, just calm down," Her eyes were mystified in confusion; I could tell she was over thinking what she wanted to tell Bonnibel. My mind wondered why she wasn't mad at me for kissing her.

She tried getting closer to her but Bonni kept backing away looking at us in repulsion, "Bonni she's just my friend and everything she said was true. All this happened and stopped before I found out about Si. Please, I know what you're thinking… and no we didn't. All we did was kiss."

_Wait… was she talking about having…_

"I come over thinking I would be nice to surprise you at your house and spend the weekend here with you. Instead come and find you kissing Em, of all people, with your fucking mark on her neck and I'm expected to believe your word that nothing happened?" Again I could feel the frustration with this girl built up inside me; Bonni needed to get off her high horse and really listen to our side of the story.

"What can I do so you can at least trust me again? Just give me a chance to talk this over with you Bonnibel." Seeing Marci in the verge of tears tore my heart out. She was about to go into the vulnerable mess she fought so hard against these last six and a half months.

Bonni looked over at me with the same exact evil glare as last time, "Stop whatever weird 'friendship' you have with _her_."

"…what?" By the tone of her voice I could tell she wasn't ready to choose between the two of us; I had to butt in before she could dig herself any deeper.

"Wait… that's all she has to do?" My body trembled knowing I didn't want this to happen.

Marceline pulled me off to the side and whispered so Bonnibel couldn't hear, "Em what are you doing?"

I pushed her away completely ignoring her question so I could approach Bonni once again. Her pretty face was red in anger while mine was turned over in deep desperation.

Anger and sadness filled my voice as I talked, "If that's all it's going to take I'll back off. Just…" this time it was just sadness that consumed my voice, "just don't break her heart again."

Bonnibel's expression was too hard to read, she was either surprised or completely in a deep hatred. Either way, I could have cared less. Tears began filling my eyes as she just stared at me not really knowing what to say next.

"Will both of you just stop already? Dude this isn't what I want," Marci's grey eyes were specifically on me, "Don't agree to this… please."

"Seriously Marceline? You're going to jeopardize your relationship for our petty little friendship?"

"It's not…"

This time I pulled her a safe distance away from Bonnibel's hearing, "Look, fix this. If this is what it takes to keep you guys together then so be it. I just…I can't sit back and watch you fall back to pieces… not again." My eyes shut tightly to prevent any tears from leaving my ducts.

"Come on dude this isn't funny, there's gotta be some other way."

I opened my eyes and found her crying with her face buried into her hands. She sloppily wiped away the tears with the entire lengths of her arms and looked at me wishing that I would agree with her. My heart couldn't lie to her. She meant more to me then I did to her, that's why I knew I needed to take the leap.

My head shook as I pressed the wonderful memories away from my emotional conciseness, "No… you can't have us both. I'm sorry."

The words stung deep in both our hearts. Her eyes scanned mine while they disguised her sorrow I saw as her lip quivered.

She called for me by name but I urged myself to overlook the saddening cry of her voice as I walked away. All I cared about was seeing my best friend happy.

I forced myself near Bonni and quietly growled in her ear, "If you break her heart or touch her one more time… I'll beat the shit out of you." My shoulder pushed hers assertively as I stormed away from the terrible mess I created.

.

**Bonni's POV**

Ember stomped away after her little threat, leaving Marceline and I alone in the backyard that was thinly lined with the beginnings of a forest. I still couldn't believe Em was here with Marceline. As much as they denied it I saw them kissing.

_Marci never mentioned her…but then again she never really mentioned anything after our break-up._

I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and think she was just too sad about Simon dying to want to discuss anything but this was a big deal. She stood there where Ember left her; stiff and probably still crying. That was something else I couldn't quite understand; She was fighting so hard to keep her around, it made me jealous quite frankly.

Marci didn't bother trying to _me_ to stay when I pushed her away.

Marceline took slow dragging strides as she found herself next to me. Her head hung down with her long flowing hair blocking my ability to see into her eyes. We stood there side by side not really facing each other until one of us had to speak.

"…Can we talk?" It was my voice that coward in fear.

"Why so you can just call me a liar and hit me again?"

_Fuck how in the hell am I supposed to respond to that? Sure I didn't believe her entirely but we all knew the hitting was uncalled for. Even that little bitc…_

Her voice broke me from my thoughts, "I told you I needed to talk to you about some things. I was going to bring her up Bonni, whether you want to accept that or not, that's the truth."

Trying to understand her statement was proven harder then anything I've ever had to deal with, "How can I tell you're not lying to me Marci? You just finished telling me you two were nothing but friends and now your telling me you had the intentions to tell me about _her_… If she's just your friend what is there to talk about?"

"What I was going to tell you was that I kissed Ember. After 6 months of crying and torture I kissed my best-friend out of pity. I'm not going to lie to you Bonnibel, I thought it was over between us. I had no reason to ever go see you… We kissed one day, just one, and that same day Em and I decided our little 'fling' was too much of a risk because of her dad and my age, so we stopped."

Her sunken eyes met mine, "You want some fucking truth? I like Ember a lot Bonni, so fucking much I would have happily risked shit for her, but ultimately I still loved you, and NOTHING could ever stop that. We only liked each other as rebounds and nothing else. So it'd be fucking great if you never told anyone about this."

The words slid pass my clenched teeth, "You wanted to tell me this and you expected me to be okay with it all? Like it was no big deal?"

"Yeah I did, but Em just showed me how stupid I was being, so I'm sorry Bonni. I know you hate hearing that from me, but I really mean it." She scoffed and shook her head while her eyes moved back down to the floor, "Who cares, you don't believe me anyways."

She walked over to the black guitar she tossed on the floor when I first found Ember on Marceline. Before I saw it happen I heard Em screaming at her in anger not in some sort of gross seduced cry. After admitting that to myself I realized by the way they were awkwardly positioned that maybe there was some legitimacy behind the empty words they spoke.

Her head went from the guitar to me once more, "I'm going out to clear my head. The back door's open." She started walking towards the woods. The sun was starting to set and the darkness grew within the thick bush.

This could go one of two ways and I involuntarily panicked, "Please don't run away!"

She stopped, her toned sounded shocked at first, "I-i… I'm not running away Bonni," Her voice now filled with exhausted overused sadness, "I just don't want to say something stupid, okay? There's still something very important I need to talk to you about."

I watched as her hands pushed away the braches of many trees until the darkness consumed her. Small orange rays of light rushed into the forest only to be taken away by the shadows. My heart knew I had to let her go and think but my mind could stop from asking myself a lot of troubling questions.

.

Marci's POV

My legs dangled off the edge of the cliff where Em and I had last kissed. The sun was setting and everything was just like I remembered from that day, except she wasn't here with me.

The black guitar sat on my lap patiently waiting for me emotions to flow through it. It felt so light compared to my axe, different, but in the best way possible. I pulled the capo from my jacket pocket and adjusted the sound to a higher octave.

It was extremely hard to begin but once the found the right words my mouth wouldn't stop even if I tried…

"I was just bony hands as cold as a winter pole

You held a warm stone out, new flowing blood to hold

Oh what a contrast you were

To the brutes in the halls

My timid young fingers held a decent animal.

.

Over the ramparts you tossed

The scent of your skin and some foreign flowers

Tied to a brick

Sweet as a song

The years have been short but the days were long.

.

Cool of a temperate breeze from dark skies to wet grass

We fell in a field it seems now a thousand summers passed

When our kite lines first crossed

We tied them into knots

And to finally fly apart

We had to cut them off…

.

Since then it's been a book you read in reverse

So you understand less as the pages turn

Or a movie so crass

And awkwardly cast

That even I could be the star.

.

I don't look back as much as a rule

And all this way before murder was cool

But your memory is here and I'd like it to stay…

Warm light… on a winters day…"

A low croak left my throat; I wasn't able to finish my singing. I let the sadness crash over me like a death threatening ocean wave. I had to let her go; she was right about not being able to have them both.

_I wanted to fight for you Em…why did you stop me?_

That girl shook my pride more then I would have liked to admit. I smiled through my tears; _I need to tell her thank you for being such a great friend_.

What we needed was a proper goodbye.

Now back to Bonnibel…

_How is she going to react when I tell her I'm leaving this summer? Shit she doesn't even trust me…"_


	17. Control

Chapter 17:

Control

The low buzz of my amplifier hummed a comforting lullaby that my heart will permanently remember. It's soothing vibrations rattled a nearby glass which meant it was loud enough to damage my hearing but who cared?

_Not me, that's for sure._

After yesterday I have come to believe I've list a good part of my sense of reason between my thoughts and emotions. Remembering that I had to give up Ember and going through that dreaded talk with Bonni afterwards... well, lets just say nothing really mattered to my sense of rational thinking.

A thin black wire lay limp in my hand as I clutched its metal tip with the edge of my fingers. Axel took to the power cord with an electrical screech when I inserted the wire into his output jack; the noise eventually dulled out and I could hear the pick ups adjusting to the amp. In my other hand my fingers dragged a red pick along a single nickel bound string to give out a very low raspy scratch. The position of the pick switch to the opposite hand before I could unleashed every emotion hidden in my body on my helpless bass guitar.

Anger. Happiness. Sadness and... Relief?

That's what poured out from the center of my core to meet me in reality. However I had yet to understand the last one.

The word dug itself deep within my chest creating a sharp yet pleasing release of... relief. It felt awkward as its presence settled into my acceptance.

Being able to still have Bonni was the relief on my heart; glob dammit, I was ecstatic I still had her.

_Everything would have crumbled down to nothing if I had lost her and then without Em..._

Her name brought a rush a pain in between my breast bone and ribs.

_Without Em I wouldn't have been able to go through it again._

She was both my foundation and my anchor; everything a best friend should be. Soon I began to feel the heat from the tears restraining their position under my eyes. One deep inhale kept them in their place but a distressed sigh almost lost my deep control.

Bonnibelle wasn't okay with us being friends but I wasn't one to just sit back and let our friendship end on such a bitter note. As much as I hated respecting her wish, it had to be done if I wanted to keep her... but was it right to disobey love for friendship?

There was that mesmerizing humming sound that whirled my stomach into a relaxed state.

What I should have be doing was taking the empty space next to Bonnie while she slept on my bed.

_Our bed?_ ...Fuck, again with "the future" thoughts_._

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them very much, but I didn't want to think about them while I had a strung out amount of sadness because of her. There was a overpowering sigh caught between my diaphragm and lungs, it struggled at first but it eventually shook itself from its internal jail. My fingers froze on Axel's dull grey strings; they were stuck between emotions.

_How strange._

As I switched off the amplifier button it made the wonderful buzz drone out into complete nothingness. Tonight my bass guitar had to be put away so my attention was to be solely on Bonnibelle and nothing else.

I left behind my time for sorting my problem and reentered the cabin not really knowing what would happen if I approached Bonni in the way my mind intended me to. Regardless of everything that had happen, it was talked over, and pushed in the past. The slightest hint of rage that was forgotten due to my desire was going to pose a deep threat that I was yet unaware of.

She was all I could think about right now. It was my drive to show her how much I loved her that brought this upon me. Since she was here, alone with me, I needed to feel her body against mine more then anything in this world.

I lightly pushed opened the door and to my surprise Bonni was in bed, sitting upright, reading a blue bound book with her glasses on. I couldn't move from the entrance, instead I gawked in awe; her subtle pink hair dropped down on her shoulders and she had was still in that old black t-shirt. My favorite shirt.

Then our eyes met.

There was a split second where I felt my heart hit the wall of my chest so hard it shook me from my stare. How she manage to stun me every time her eyes met mine will always stump me. I advanced toward her; all she did was look at me with slight concern in her eyes.

"I thought you were going to blow off more steam"

I couldn't say a word. I shook my head and continued my stride toward the bed. My boots thumped loudly on the floor before I crawled into bed with Bonni. My body crept over hers forcing her to slouch down to her elbows.

"Marceli-" our lips came together so hard she made a little "mphf" sound when I cut her off. She didn't resist the urgency in my kiss; her body laid on the bed and she wrapped her arms securely around my neck. Pretty soon I felt her fingers drag along my back and this only made my desire grow fierce.

_Control yourself Marci, don't freak her out like you did with Ash._

Ugh, that name left a gross aftertaste in my mind. The name was rapidly pushed from the depths of my thoughts and my attention was again on Bonni's beautiful body. My teeth clung on her bottom lip until my lips decided to drag lazily along her jawline to her sweet smelling neck. A sharp gasp of air made my heart pick up its pace.

Feeling and hearing her inhale and exhale deeply only drove me mad with lust, and what I always feared would happen with Bonni, happened.

I bit down on her neck, sucking and toying with her soft skin. Bonni's body wiggled uncontrollably under me. Her legs wrapped around my hips, warm dainty hands were under my shirt and her lower back was arching away from the bed only to press herself against my body; as if our bodies needed to melt into each other. The strength behind my bite grew and as a reward I received a sudden yelp that left her slightly parted lips.

I felt it, my eyes went wide in excitement and I dug in deeper to hear the lovely noise again. Her arms fell to her side and felt her fingers beginning to grip the sheets beside her. This time a deep moan rumbled out ending with a satisfied gasp. Bonnibelle's arms came around me once more; the length of her fingernails disappeared into my back and dragged away from each other as I continued my attack.

Within a few seconds I struggled to withdraw myself from her neck and ultimately pushed myself off her. My subconscious mind saved me; I would have continued the physical harm I was stirring between us if I didn't react the way I did.

_It was too hard. Glob dammit, I should have pulled away earlier._

My marks always stayed a deep maroon color when I finished victimizing the vulnerable skin of my prey, except this time, I was met with a plum purple and a red so dark it was hardly the color I loved. Every muscle in my body began to shake. I couldn't help but think if I would have lost control for a second longer it could have been worst.

Little did I know how wrong I was. So, so wrong.

Blood began to bubble into a tiny bead before it dribbled into the crevasse of her collarbone. Bonni didn't panic. The tiny trail of blood unfazed her enjoyment of our foreplay.

She pulled me in closer with her arms while her eyes looked desperately into mine, "Don't stop" she mewed and her lips began to pout.

In disbelief I responded, "W-what? No! I made you bleed. Glob Bonni I'm so so-" the brute force of our lips coming together shut me up. Her teeth broke a slit of skin on my lips when she pulled me in for a forceful kiss. Tasting the metallic iron flavor from my blood locked me in once more. I felt like a shark in a mad feeding frenzy; aggressive, strong, but most of all, unpredictable.

It truly frighten me.

My head spun, my breathing was no longer audible, but our moans replaced the unwanted silence. Time no longer seemed relevant. Our only source of time hid within the morning sun. The once dull yellow sphere that meet us over the horizon was now well over head warming the afternoon air.

We collapsed into each others arms. Poor Bonni was gasping for dear life.

"You.. okay?" I managed to get out between my own choppy breathing. My fingers touched the marks, at first she flinched away in pain and I quickly retreated my hand back in concern. She reached for my hand and placed my cold fingers back on my trademark.

"It's okay. Your hands are a bit cold, it just gave me a little shock. Really, I'm fine"

She wasn't lying, that's what scared me the most.

I couldn't speak, losing control always made me feel weak to my emotions, surely I thought I could maintain myself. Who was I kidding?Of course I wasn't able to control it, there was so much that happened jn such a short amount of time that my brain and feelings hadn't found a way to sort things out.

To make matters worse she was the reason why I couldn't contain myself. Only with her did I find myself so weaken with emotions. It didn't help that she urged on, wanting more of this side I tried to hide.

My lips softly kissed the risen area of her neck; she tilted her head further to the side giving me access to every mark.

I kissed each one with a tender peck.

One.

Two

Three.

Four.

Four hideous reminders of me. A tear rolled away from my power and dripped from the tip of my nose to Bonnibelle's cheek.

There was no use of playing that off.

"Do you still trust me?" I lifted away from embrace to meet her hazel stare. She didn't blink, hardly moved at all actually, and I even wondered if she was still breathing. The muscles on her face relaxed and she gave me an indifferent look.

Her head nodded slowly before she spoke, "I do"

"You know I'm only faithful to you, right?"

"Marci, if this is about Ember I don't want to..."

"No this is about _us _Bonni. Do you trust me enough to know I'll never cheat on you?" I asked again.

She looked down, not because she was being dishonest with her answer but for the sole fact that we were even having this discussion. We both knew we'd never do that to each other, having this conversation was pointless but what was said needed to be heard. By both if us.

Again she let her head nodded slowly. It finally seemed like everything was in its original place making its peace with my inner self.

Once we regained our strength from our love making and the rest of the day went as we had originally planned.

It was time to meet up with my band. Needless to say I was pretty psyched but equally terrified about their reaction to my sudden appearance and the even sooner disappearance of my mysterious ways. The car ride back to the city soothed my soul as we left my little house. Trees started to bloom with hundreds of little flowers that would rain down whenever a gust of wind swayed its branches.

We passed the little canyon where Em and I first bonded. She would love it now that it's not all cold. I felt myself grin as a result, but quickly hid the happiness with a crooked smile. I wanted it to look as if I was thinking; the reason was to avoid Bonni asking why I was smiling.

There was some unfamiliar song playing from the car stereo so I used it as a buffer to start a light conversation. When I left Bonni's was already venturing out trying to find her "style " of music. It was super adorable; there soft singing, the only instrument playing was an acoustic guitar and some guy was crying about how pretty the sky looked when he met some girl. It was a bit too cheesy for my taste but I did think the vocals were pretty rad.

"New band you're into?" I asked with my eyes fixated on the clouds above horizon over the highway.

She gave a little giggle, "Yeah, Finn introduced me to them, along with a million other bands" I noticed her voice was a little more perky then usual.

Hearing Finn's name brought a unexpected wave of glee. It was good to know my friends took care of Bonni while I was away. I now understood how badly my leaving affect Bonni, so hearing that the guys helped her made me realized how lucky I was to have such awesome friends.

I knew she had Lady, that was a given since they practically became best friends the moment they met, and LSP, since she was her Vice. However, I found more peace in knowing that Jay and Blondie kept an eye on her and that they'd continue doing so once I left again. The comfort settled well with me not because I feared her straying away but rather knowing that if she needed help with _anything _that Finn and Jake would gladly help her. That's just the kind of guys that they were.

The remainder of the car ride we listened to more of Finn's interesting choice in music and Bonni just wouldn't shut up about the two. More so about Finn.

She probably did it to hint at the fact that Finn has, I meant had, a thing with Em. Bonnibelle promised to never speak of what had happened between me and my list friend.

So that was it. Ember was just a sad memory that never existed.

Our destination was now in plain sight, the tree house, as we all called it. A single white house bear hugged by a large oak tree. Normally the garage door would be open and the guys would be inside inviting me in to play on our shared equipment, but today the large door stayed closed. Little did I know that door hadn't been open since the day of Homecoming.

We exited my car and I locked the doors before we made our way to the front door. Bonni decided to knock; her soft tapping wasnt enough to catch the attention of a drummer who practically blew his ears out every time he played and a guitarist that always stood too close to his amplifier. I took a turn slamming my fist dead center of the wooden door. Seven loud thumps later the door opened.

"What's your deal Nepter? We said 4 'o..." Jake's eyes must've pop out of his head, "shit, I must be going nuts again." He grinned ever so slightly; I knew he wanted to yell at me, maybe even tackle me to the floor, but he stood there knowing I could easily win him in a physical challenge.

Jay shook his head as his eyes were sucked into my stare, "nice of you to come back into existence Marcy." His tone was happy with a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah yeah, I missed you too Jake" we stood there just staring at each other, a bro hug would have been nice about now but Jay turned around and yelled for his brother, "Hey Finn! Come here a sec." Again his eyes stayed on me with little change in his facial expression.

"This better not be another one of your plans to distract me from our match." Blondie's head poke from the entrance and beamed a smile towards Bonni before he caught glance of me. In one word, he was in shock; his eyes scanned my presence and it looked like his brain didn't want to accept my image.

Finn finally snapped out of it and greeted me, "Hey Marceline. Long time no see." He tried his best to sound 'normal' so to say, but lets get this thing straight, cool and calm was not this kids style. What would have been normal was if he jumped at me, totally psych himself into a squeal, even wiggling his arms in the air as he danced. It never happened.

"Sure has been, kid."

His eyes pierced my taunting expression, as if it would shake me. I scoffed at him, "What? Are my names starting to bother you?"

He turned his back to me, "Nah, just hurry up and come inside. Jake and I are in the middle of something important." Finn waved the three of us in and I couldn't help but wonder what was up with the little dude.

We followed like sheep in herd, I trailed behind dragging my feet just examining what I've always claimed as my second home. There was the hole in the wall where Jake and I slammed straight into during our first real fist fight. The large letter 'M' I carved and painted over their couch in the living room was a little faded but still hung proudly like a deer head over a mantle. Even the plants on the window sill were unaffected by my time lapse. Everything was exactly where I could remember it being and it caused me to smile to myself.

I was last to enter the boys room and I leaned myself against the door frame with my arms crossed. Off in the corner there was a mountain of junk food stacked on a fold away table and beside it a whole spread of playing cards were set out. Finn was already sitting on his side of the table holding a little fold of cards in his hands; he hid then from our view like a player in Texas hold 'em. Well everyone except Bonni who had taken the stool right beside them. The cards stayed close to his face and he just watched as Jake sat down across from him. For a whole half hour we watched the two brothers go in an all out geek battle. Phrases like "Tapping mana" and "attacking" were all too foreign to me. They each had their decks, they would cast spells and use monsters to build an army. The nerdiness... It was too much.

As much as I didn't want to admit it I was into their little card game. The game itself didn't interest me but seeing those two clowns yelling over stupid cards across their arena was pretty hilarious. We all heard the side door open and close but no one seemed fazed by it. The creaky floorboards cried as I heard the footsteps grow near.

Red hair was the first thing I saw when the mysterious person showed themselves.

"Marceline!" The sound of a small plastic skateboard hitting ground was the next thing my senses processed. I found myself only a few feet away from Bmo but that didn't stop him from charging at me. Pretty soon he was inches away with his eyes full of glee, "When did you get here?"

Having him so close forced me to crane my neck further down while his head seemed to look straight up at my gaze. My hand landed on his head tousling his hair into a scruffy pile of fuzz. Annoyance was his go to response when I did this, but today, just for me, he took it.

"Just got here about 30 minutes ago bud. Hey, I missed your birthday didn't I?" Birthdays were the only things involving numbers that ever managed to register in my head; numbers, math, equations were all thrown out once they served no purpose.

"Yeah but so what," he shrugs his little scrawny shoulders, "12 isn't a big deal. Now 13, that's something to look forward to." His voice was full of energy; he could hardly stand still with how happy he was to see me. "It's so good to have you back home Marci."

My stomach dropped to my feet causing me to feel slightly nauseous.

I still needed to tell everyone that my homecoming will be short lived. To top it off I had to stay around to see everyone be sad about it.

I didn't mean to, but I sighed, making B's radiant energy come to a sudden halt.

"Thanks dude. It's great seeing everyone together again."

I looked over to the rest of the group; Finn and Jake were still going at their game and Bonni just looked over at us from her stool. Seeing her smile forced my sadness to submit into the happiness I felt.

B's grabbed the tiny bright blue penny board and drew his attention on Finn. He waited patiently for his friend to finish his match but gave up when he noticed Finn wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. B sighed loudly and told Finn he'd be outside waiting.

Bonni, being the good girl that she was, saw the gloom in him and asked if he could show her a few tricks. Bmo always took to Bonni's kindness, she was so gentle with him that he never saw it as treating him like a child. Instead he took it as a friendship love, it was nice to see my girl and my friends grow such a strong bond.

Seeing both of them leave caught Finn's attention and only after a few minutes that they retreated outside was the game magically over.

"What the plop bro?! That's totally donk, you didn't even try" Jake huffed out crossing his arms.

Finn seemed distracted as he pulled on his white beanie and went to grab his board, "So what yo? You won and I gotta go skate with B."

Jay rolled his eyes away from him, "Yeah sure..."

Finn gave his brother a nasty glare. Again, these kinds of actions weren't normal.

In an instant we were left alone. Jake turned around with this look on his face, I knew what he was about to ask me.

"...no dude" I backed away shaking my head a little overly exaggerated to make my point perfectly clear.

"Aww come on Marcy. Just one game. Please?" He gave me those awful puppy dog eyes. When we were younger he had found out how to use this to his advantage. Being a childhood friend and all I couldn't always be mean to Jay; he was my pal and was like a brother to me.

Glob, I caved, "I don't know how to play" I added only hoping to dodge this game all together.

His eyes beamed at the challenge, "I'll teach you. Unless you're scared you're going to lose"

I couldn't stand his taunting.

I groaned, "You're on, but first things first." I paused and Jay looked at me with confused brown eyes. "What's up with Finn?"


	18. Not Every Ending is a Good One

Dear fanfiction followers,

Thank you for following my story and my deepest apologies for not updating. I'm sorry to inform you all that I no longer wish to continue this story. A lot of factors have presented themselves into my life and I've grown weary. I will not mark this story as completed because one day I might surprise myself and want to finish the chapter I had originally outlined; however, as of today, I have given up. waves Until then.

Post script: To all of those who have written a story and haven't finished, please don't give up.


	19. Blinded

There was something odd about the way Marceline just stood there staring at Jake when I walked into the room. It felt like I had just stumbled into some serious tension between them. As I made my way towards them Jake's eye landed on me. Almost immediately Marci turned her head over her shoulder to see what had caught his attention. The stern look in her eyes made my moderate pace come to a complete stop.

She let go a huff of air through her nose, "Go get your brother Jay." Her eyes never left mine, "then meet me in the garage."

"Y-yeah, okay," He finally broke his stare off me and sluggishly left the room; as if he dreaded what was going to happen next.

My attention now lay solely on Macre and our gaze stayed perfectly glued together. It felt like neither of us blinked during those very long seconds. She finally decided to turn her entire self to me; her body language only intensified my apprehension.

I inched my hand to hers and she repulsively pulled away. Her beautiful lips were pressed tightly together and her hands coiled into shaking fists. What I was witnessing was sheer anger.

My lips were the first to part but she was the first to shout.

"I can't fucking believe you!"

My first reaction was to close my eyes and flinch at the sound of her booming voice. The second was to react.

Every ounce of blind courage rose up in a heat of anger and it washed away all the fear that had been there a split second ago. I opened my eyes, stood my ground firmly and I shot back at her, "Don't you dare raise your voice at me Marce!"

We were only a few feet apart and I was able to hear the snarl in her voice. "Stop telling me what to do Bonni." She shook her head slowly without breaking eye contact, "I already have to tell them I'm leaving them to go solo. To make matters worse, breaking up the band isn't what's going to crush them you know."

This was the same argument we had that evening after Ember had left the cabin.

"You agreed that it was the rational thing to do Marce; to give yourself opportunities and reach your lifetime goals. This is what you want."

Marceline chuckled through her annoyance, "No Bonni, this is what YOU want."

My brain whirled in confusion.

"You took up those offers before you came crying to me Marceline. Why are you trying to blame me for your own decisions? A decision that isn't bad to begin with."

"Came crying to you," her eyes narrowed and nostrils flared, "you think everything is about you, huh?"

_What is her problem?_

Before I could even think about how to reply to that last statement she went right ahead and continued, "I never asked you to come with me or to apply to nearby colleges just so you could have me all to yourself."

We could hear the boys' chatter grow louder but Marceline didn't seem to worry too much about their arrival. "I see what you're trying to do. Do you honestly take me for someone that stupid?"

The house went dead silent at the sound of her last word. After only a couple of seconds of eerie silence, we heard the garage door open then close. There was no doubt in my mind that they had all heard our small spat. To make matters worse, I fell defenseless to her barking.

I lowered my head in defeat; that only gave her more incentive to attack me.

"So I was right." Marce scoffed, "You encouraged me to give up seeing my friends because, what was that you said? Oh yeah. They will only bring me down. The only best friend I've ever had never wants to see or speak to me ever again because she saw how physically and emotionally abusive you are. Now you want to follow me just so I don't run the risk of seeing any of them when I come down to visit you?"

She finally close the small gap between us and peered harshly into my eyes, "No, no. You wanted to come with me just so you made sure I never found out about you and Finn."

My heart sank down my gut into an empty pit.

_That's what Jake told her!? But how did he find out?_

She studied my reaction as I was in too much shock to respond. I could feel the blood drain from my face and the sudden urge to collapse came over me.

I swallowed hard hoping to lubricate the sandpapery dryness of my throat, "Please…let me…"

"Explain?" Marceline finished the sentence sharply; "Yeah, maybe after I slap YOU across the face and make one of your friends abandon you."

My defenses finally kicked in. "Is that a threat?"

A grunt was all I received for an answer.

"I don't need to justify anything Marceline, what we both did was wrong. Now let's just push it past us and move on." It was true, we both made huge mistakes and now no one could have the upper hand in arguments such as these. It might have been wrong to hide away the truth to protect our relationship but I wasn't going to lose her again. "Please?"

"I almost went out there to beat the ever living shit out of Finn but before I could move my feet forward it started to become very clear to me. How you made it a big deal that it was Em out there with me, how you couldn't shut up about Finn the whole car ride here and most of all, seeing how you've gotten him on a mental hold just like you have been with me." She took one step back and looked down at me with disgust, "It took me this long to realize that I was being blinded by my own love for you."

_Was she...ending us?_

As I watched her turn her back to me I frantically fumbled out my words, "Don't do this… I need… I… I'll kill myself Marceline!"

She froze.

Pretty soon hot tears involuntarily streamed down my cheeks and a few managed to fall into the corner of my mouth. Tasting the salty pitiful cries for her only fueled me to break into a sob and fall to my knees. My hands hid my face as I wept loudly on the hardwood floor at her feet.

I felt her gently pulling away my hands from my face and I found myself staring into precious grey eyes. The corner of her mouth lifted and her facial expression was no longer spiteful. Happiness slowly oozed into my heart.

"Don't think I can't live without you Bonnie" She dropped my hands and the fell like heavy lead blocks to my sides; once again her face became unkind, "because I can."

* * *

"Come on Em… If we don't go down… the other trail… we are going… to run an extra mile… and a half!" Beau was panting furiously.

I looked back only to find him bent over with his hands on his knees. He waved at me to continue but I just ran towards him instead. I handed him my water bottle and he gladly accepted the cold nectar. Most of it fell out of the side of his mouth and dribble on to his already soaked t-shirt.

He finished the remaining water and came up for a gasp or air, "Let's just go down this way, please, I'm dying!"

"I already told you I don't like going down that way." I turned away trying not to show my irritation with his constant complaining. "Besides, you need the workout Flam-beau" I looked over my shoulder once more to give him a taunting face.

"Don't call me that!" Beau threw the empty water bottle to my head and without hesitation I charged at him with full force. "OKAY OKAY! Mercy! Stop!"

After landing a few good punches to his arms I finally backed off, "Look, for the hundredth time, I don't want to run that trail okay? It's unstable terrain and we need to go to higher elevation, not lower." Something told me that he didn't buy my bluff just by the way he looked at me.

Regardless, he didn't argue, "Fine"

If he knew the real reason as to why I didn't want to go that way he would never let me live it down. He also had this giant crush on Marceline, whom I've been constantly avoiding.

It was hard at first. Anytime I saw her down a hall I'd have to quickly find an escape or I'd just turn around and take some ridiculously long path to my very own dorm room. Being on high alert for Marce was always draining. I felt like an obsessive girlfriend trying to figure out what route she took to her class, what time she started and ended each of her music sessions. See it wouldn't have been so difficult if she went about her day with the same routine, but that wasn't her style. What made it harder was knowing she was trying to find a way contact me while I was ignoring her.

"Let's keep going Beau" I cocked my head to the northeast trail, "I have to get back before my dad freaks out"

He ran beside me and kept to my pace, "Old man came to visit?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," My mind was too concentrated on Marceline and my father to have realized what I said next, "he wouldn't miss my birthday"

Beau grabbed on to my hand and stopped me from going any further. "It's your birthday, it's the first day of summer and to top it off it's a Saturday, and all you want to do is run?"

Pulling my hand away I answered a little insensitively, "Yeah, you're point?"

"WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING!" He yelled at me like I had lost my mind, "Me and my good looks and you being way hot, we should totally hit the town!"

"Uh, no." I continued my run, and without looking at Beau, I already knew he had this appalled look on his face. I shouted behind me, "All I want to do is run, see my dad and run some more once that's over and done with."

"BUT!…"

Snapping back I cut him off, "I'm leaving you behind if you don't stop complaining."

He eventually caught up to me and we continued our run without another word being spoken. Once we arrived to school it was pretty evident that most of the kids had left home for the summer. Only those who had summer school, like flam-beau, stayed behind. I, on the other hand, didn't want to go back to my dad's place so I faked a summer class and was never questioned about it.

Beau collapsed on the field in front of his dorms and told me to just leave him behind. His bright orange hair drenched in sweat and his bright red face from running made him a sad sight to see. Sometimes I questioned my friendship with this maniac but he has been the nicest person I've come across since Marceline so I dealt with him.

Since school was out I was only assuming that Marceline had finished her course and was on her way to meet with those producers she told me about. That was the night she came knocking on my dorm room window and I flipped out on her.

I allowed myself to smile at the thought. Most of my memories with her I forced out of my brain, but a few, just like that one, I decided to keep.

As I opened the door to my new, roommate free, dorm room I wasn't the least bit surprised when I saw my dad standing there with balloons and a gift. He reached his arms out for a hug and to be perfectly honest, I don't think I can remember the last time I got to hold anyone…

Oh yeah, Marce.

I didn't hesitate for the physical affection; because glob only knows I needed it more then anything in this world right now. Once I bathed myself and made myself decent I enjoyed dinner with my father. I use the term "enjoyed" loosely mainly due to the fact that our conversations were about school and then he interrogated me about boys along with my pyrophilia. When we finished our meal he returned me to school were he formally presented his genius gift to me.

My father excitedly pushed the bright red gift bag into my hands, "Go on" He beamed a giant smile, "Open it!"

I unveiled the mystery, "It's a cellphone…" I wondered what was so great about receiving a phone.

"It has a GPS device where I can constantly check your location…"

_There it is_

He went on and on about this marvelous phone that could track my exact location and I zoned out for a while. It was until he had to leave that I actually took interest in what he was saying.

"I've got to go now. Remember to activate your phone as soon as you've set it up, okay?" My dad hugged me a little longer then normal. He then begged me to come back home and all I did was simply remind him that he was the one who forced me into this school. A few minutes of bickering back and forth passed and he finally left the campus. I watched as he drove his SUV out of sight.

_I thought he'd never leave!_

It was well into the evening and about time for the last run of the day. I pulled back as much of my short burgundy hair as I could, put on black track shorts and an orange tank top.

Right when I exited my room I noticed a small blue box and an envelope taped securely to my door. With one strong tug I pulled off the treasure and examined it in full. There was no name addressed on it, but I could only assume it was for me. Perhaps it was another gift from my dad. the idea wasn't for farfetched.

The little blue box didn't take much effort to open; the lid just slid right off.

I was greeted with a very peculiar looking lighter. It was much bulkier and larger then the other gas lighters I have hidden away in my dresser. So without hesitation I took out the lighter and pressed down on the button. A soft click was heard and to my surprise a beautiful blue flame violently spurred from the top.

It was a torch lighter.

I eagerly opened the letter to see who gave me such a wonderful gift.

Both the letter and gift where tossed suddenly in my room as I closed the door behind me. I dashed passed the many doors and jumped down a flight of stairs. My feet felt numb as I ran as fast I could out of the campus.

"Out for that second run?" A familiar voice stopped me in my tracks; I stood for a second before scanning the area for my friend.

Beau propped himself up on his elbows and I was able to see he had not moved away from his rest spot from this afternoon. My heart kept beating a thousand miles an hour and made my voice sound incredibly choppy.

"Yeah, sure."

Without looking back or saying anything else to my dear friend, I sprinted towards the canyon behind Marceline's house.


End file.
